Department of Family and Community Services - It`s easier than you thin to adopt a child in New Brunswick


	It's easier than you think to adopt a child in New Brunswick

You don't have to be young, married, childless or wealthy to adopt a child from the Department of Family and Community Services. You don't have to go to a certain church or have a certain education. You just have to be a special person with special skills.
	In New Brunswick, adoption services are governed by the Family Services Act. The Department of Family and Community Services is responsible for arranging adoptions that occur in the province, except private adoptions. Most departmental adoptions are of children who come into its care under the Family Services Act. Adoptions by immediate family or step-parents, as well as adult adoptions, proceed directly through the courts.
Adoption is both a social and a legal process. The purpose is to provide children with the stability and security of a permanent family. In deciding what will be best for the child in the long term, social workers consider a child's needs and, when evaluating adoption applications, consider factors such as: the child's safety; the child's physical and emotional needs; the child's level of development; the importance of continuous relationships, including those with birth parents; the child's ethnic, linguistic, religious and cultural heritage; and the child's views.

The older they are, the more children are able to have a say in the adoption process. Children 12 years of age and over cannot be adopted without their consent. They must be told how adoption will change their lives. They must also agree to any possible name change requested in the adoption application. Children have the right to change their mind at any time up to the moment the adoption order is granted. First Nations children have the same rights as all other children. First Nations birth parents, like all others, have the right to choose homes for their children. This includes homes outside the First Nations community. The Department is responsible for the child's placement, where birth parents and the child are living off the reserve.

		Some of the children waiting for adoption have special placement needs because of physical, developmental, emotional or behavioural challenges. They may have psychological, educational or medical needs and may need professional help as they grow and develop. Adoptive parents of children with special needs often find great joy and satisfaction in providing the love and support these children need to reach their full potential. To ensure each child's unique needs are met, the Department looks for diversity, commitment and flexibility in families and parents who adopt children with special needs.
Children with special needs may include: infants with serious health problems or with the risk of developing them. This could include Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Down's Syndrome, Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, genetic risk of schizophrenia or personality disorder; children over the age of two, with emotional and/or behavioural challenges; sibling groups; children in the permanent care of the Department with attachment problems; children who have had multiple placements; and children who have suffered abuse or neglect.

			According to the Family Services Act, any adult, regardless of his or her age, gender, education or financial status, may apply to adopt a child. The first step in the adoption process is to contact your Family and Community Social Services (FCSS) Regional Office and complete an application. Once the application is completed and returned to the adoption social worker, the next step is a homestudy. A homestudy includes consultations with the prospective adoptive parents through visits to the home, discussions and an educational component to prepare the prospective adoptive parents to meet the needs of a child through adoption. The homestudy consultations are completed over several months by a social worker from the Department.

To contact your local office, look under the listing "Family and Community Services" in the New Brunswick Provincial Government blue section of your telephone directory.