Our mission |
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The Adoption Council of Canada (ACC) is Canada's voice for adoption, unifying communities' commitment to permanency for waiting children and youth. We support and encourage people along their adoption journey, connecting them to the families and resources they need. |
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In addition, the Adoption Council of Canada:
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The need for the Canada's Waiting Children Program |
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Although there are many families who would like to adopt healthy infants, the majority of the children and youth in care of our provinces and territories are not infants. Most are aged 12 and older. There is a great need for people - be they single parents or couples - to adopt or become permanent legal guardians for all the children and youth in foster and group care. Canada's Waiting Children is an attempt to bridge this gap in expectation and knowledge by introducing the people who come to this website to photos and descriptions of the many wonderful, exceptional and loving children and youth of all ages who are waiting for a family they can call their own forever. Many of the children and youth in care have experienced trauma, grief and loss. Some have visible or invisible disabilities. All of them need the support, love, safety, advocacy and help that families provide. Traditional recruitment methods have not been successful in finding permanent families for the thousands of children and youth in care across Canada. The ACC believes that active, creative efforts - like this national photolisting service - are required to recruit families who will meet the needs of each of the children and youth listed on this website. |
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Why use a website? |
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Experience with adoption recruitment programs over the last 40 years in Canada and the United States has shown that child-specific recruitment, rather than general recruitment or public education, is the most effective way to find the right family for a child or youth in care. Child-specific recruitment highlights actual children, and using our web-based photolisting service engages interested families. People are drawn to pictures and to personal descriptions. Photo-listing works - it helps to make matches between prospective families and waiting children. |
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Who are Canada's Waiting Children? |
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The children waiting for adoption in Canada range in age from less than a year to teenagers. Most of the children and youth referred to the Canada’s Waiting Children program are 3 years and older. Many of these children and youth have had life experiences, including trauma and loss, that may have affected their physical, emotional, or intellectual growth. Some have brothers or sisters who need to be placed with them. These are resilient, exceptional and wonderful children and youth who have a great deal to offer any family. Some have had prenatal exposure to drugs and alcohol. Some have visible or invisible disabilities. All will enrich your lives - and challenge you. We hope these pictures and profiles will help you to begin to get to know a child, a youth, or a group of siblings who will belong in your family. |
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How the Canada's Waiting Children program works | ||
CWC Process Guidelines |
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Agency process |
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