Services delivered: centralized intake — adoption information and supports for prospective adoptive parents

Component: provincial initiatives

Legislation: Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017 (CYFSA)

Service objectives

To provide prospective adoptive parents who are not currently involved with a children’s aid society (society) and seeking to adopt through the public adoption system with adoption information at the enquiry stage of the adoption process and help them to complete their adoption application, where requested.

Service description

• The primary role of Centralized Intake is to provide a single access point for prospective adoptive parents across the province who are not currently involved with a society and who are interested in adopting through societies to get clear and consistent information about adoption to help them determine and make an informed choice on whether public adoption is suitable for them
• Centralized Intake is an adoption information service, provided through a website and Centralized Intake staff, to educate and prepare prospective adoptive parents at the start of their adoption learning journey prior to contacting a society to complete the adoption application process
• For the purposes of this description, the information service provides province-wide adoption orientation for prospective adoptive parents that encompasses a broad range of activities that include providing standardized and consistent information, education resources on the website, setting and managing prospective adoptive parents’ expectations about public adoption, providing prospective adoptive parents with an understanding of the public adoption system and the needs of the children available for public adoption, helping to complete the adoption application if requested by prospective adoptive parents, creating awareness about post-adoption supports available, and making referrals to private adoption practitioners, licensees and the ministry for families interested in private domestic and intercountry adoption

People served

Prospective adoptive parents who are not currently working with a children’s aid society (society) and are seeking to adopt through the public adoption system.

Program/service features

(The program/services contracted by the Ministry will reflect the following features.

Program goals

• To provide prospective adoptive parents seeking to adopt through societies with timely and consistent information they need to help them determine if public adoption is suitable for them
• Adoptive parents are educated about adoption and better prepared for the adoption process prior to completing an adoption application with their local society
• Creation of a positive adoption experience for prospective adoptive parents pursuing public adoption from the start of their adoption journey, contributing to a broader ministry goal of increasing recruitment and retention of prospective adoptive parents in the public adoption system

Specific service provided

Services and supports provided by the transfer payment recipient include

1. Adoption Inquiry - Intake

• Initial response to adoption enquiries and collection of information about the adoption interest and preferences of prospective adoptive parents to help them determine if public adoption is suitable for them
• Provide information to prospective adoptive parents that include at a minimum:
• The types of adoption in Ontario (e.g., public, private domestic, intercountry)
• General adoption information and education, including the needs and identities of the children available for public adoption and openness
• Eligibility requirements for public adoption and the process for applying to adopt through societies
• Financial and non-financial supports available to adoptive parents
• Refer prospective adoptive parents interested in private domestic or intercountry adoption to the government of Ontario’s website for information on the private adoption process

2. Pre-Application – Providing Navigation Assistance

• Provide support to prospective adoptive parents to understand and navigate the adoption service system, including responding to information requests. This includes:
  • creating awareness about the adoption mechanisms available (e.g., AdoptOntario, Provincial and Regional Adoption Resources Exchange (ARE) that can help increase their opportunity to be matched with a child in the care of a society outside of their local community or region
  • helping prospective adoptive parents to identify and connect with their local society if requested (e.g., by providing the name of the society and contact information, which may include a specific society contact if known); and
  • informing/connecting prospective adoptive parents of/to other ongoing learning supports, such as through Adopt4Life, AdoptOntario and other resources, including adoption webinars, that the Adoption Council of Ontario provides

3. Application Support

• Provide information on where/how to go about getting documents from other service providers or individuals required for the home study (e.g., police records, references, medical report)
• Support prospective adoptive parents with completing the standardized adoption application form (e.g., associated with the required home study), if requested

Services excluded

• Intake and adoption application support for caregivers already involved with a society and who may go on to adopt a child in their care (g., foster-to-adopt parents, kin and customary caregivers)
• Clinical and/or therapeutic information services and/or assessments to prospective adoptive parents for the purpose of addressing trauma or issues they have experienced or are experiencing to support them through the adoption process
• Referrals for prospective adoptive parents to health professionals, including for mental health, medical or therapeutic services and supports
• Accepting completed adoption applications from prospective adoptive parents for submission to societies
• Information and services, including clinical and/or therapeutic supports, to birth parents/families and adoptees

Delivery method

• Information/education may be provided through the Centralized Intake website, by email or by telephone
• Agency staff providing adoption information services are typically required to have certification in social work or related training or experience in adoption

Services will be

• Reflective and responsive to child/youth, family and community strengths and needs
• Accountable to the child/youth, family and community
• Sensitive to the social, linguistic and cultural diversity of families and Indigenous communities
• Staffed by individuals with the appropriate range of skills and abilities necessary to respond effectively to the needs of adopted children/youth and their adoptive family

The transfer payment recipient will ensure the following ministry requirements are satisfied

• Manage, deliver and promote Centralized Intake, which includes the website, as a centralized access point for adoption information and education resources to prepare prospective adoptive parents interested in pursuing public adoption
• Respond to adoption inquiries from prospective adoptive parents in a timely manner as agreed with the ministry through either the Centralized Intake website, email or by telephone
• Refer prospective adoptive parents interested in private domestic or intercountry adoption to the Ontario government’s website for more specific information about completing a private adoption
• Provide consistent adoption information on the Centralized Intake website and/or through Centralized Intake staff to prospective adoptive parents who are beginning their adoption learning journey to educate them about adoption prior to completing the adoption application with a society. The information will help set and manage their expectations about public adoption and will include at a minimum
  • Overview of the adoption system, including what is adoption, adoption streams, steps/process and timeframes
  • The children available for public adoption, including characteristics, needs, ages of the children, and identities of children involved in child welfare
  • Explaining the mandatory assessment requirements (i.e., homestudy and parental training), including clarifying expectations regarding an adoption placement after completing these requirements
  • The meaning of permanency, including why some children are adopted/not adopted
  • Importance of openness in adoption for a child
  • Adoption of older children
  • Challenges that families may face post-adoption and where they can access services and supports to meet the needs of their children and family; and
  • Post-adoption supports available (financial; training; peer supports)
• Help prospective adoptive parents with completing adoption application, where requested
• At the request of the Ministry, participate in meetings and other activities related to a review or enhancement of Centralized Intake, including creation of learning materials for prospective adoptive parents

Reporting requirements

The transfer payment recipient will monitor and evaluate the program to ensure that program goals and service objectives are being met.

At each reporting period, an interim report on the project objectives, services, and outcomes.

On an annual basis, provide a report that details activities undertaken to support implementation of the initiative.

The following service data will be reported on at an Interim and Final stage. Please refer to your final agreement for report back due dates and targets.