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From the Adoption Council of Ontario...
This year the Adoption Council of Ontario is committed to raising awareness about the need of all children to have a legally committed 'forever family'. Specifically, we want to ensure that EVERY child in permanent foster care has an action plan that will give them a family to grow up in. We want both Children's Aid Societies and adoptive families to have resources and supports from the government so they can do the complex work of creating life long families through adoption.
Join us in our advocacy:
The Adoption Council of Ontario is working to urge the Ontario government to speed up urgently needed changes to Ontarios public adoption system so that more kids can find stable, loving families. WeҒre making progress raising awareness about the need for change, but we need your help. You can help us get Ontario's public adoption system fixed by doing two easy things today:
1. Visit [url=http://www.actiononadoption.ca]Fix Ontario's Public Adoption System | Facebook[/url] to join our Facebook page where well have news and updates on our efforts.
2. E-mail Premier McGuinty and Children and Youth Services Minister Laurel Broten. Their e-mail addresses and a suggested letter are below. Be sure to add your name and address at the bottom. And don't forget to copy us on the letter too:
dmcguinty.mpp@liberal.ola.org
laurel.broten@ontario.ca
actiononadoption@gmail.com
Tell your personal story or copy and past the following text:
RE: Please Fix OntarioҒs Public Adoption System!
Dear Premier McGuinty & Minister Broten:
Im writing to get your urgent attention focused on fixing OntarioҒs public adoption system. Ontario needs more centralization of its adoption system to allow more kids to find stable, caring families that are out there waiting.
As you know, there at least 8,300 kids who are Crown Wards in foster care. These are children who have been permanently removed from their parents care, many because of neglect or abuse, and are the responsibility of the province.
While the Ontario government under your leadership has continually been a strong proponent of child safety and welfare, Crown Wards continue to languish in a broken adoption system. Currently, only 8% of Crown Wards have a case plan that includes adoption. That means the vast majority will grow up in foster care and age outђ of the system at 18 with no family to call their own, no parents to provide love and guidance, not even a place to go to celebrate the holidays.
Foster care was never intended to be a final destination. It is, by definition, supposed to be a temporary arrangement, so its not uncommon for kids to be moved multiple times in a single year. Imagine fearing coming ґhome every day from school wondering if a social worker be waiting to tell you itҒs time to move again, to yet another new school, new neighbourhood, and a new set of strangers.
Whats the likelihood that any child in these circumstances grows up feeling safe, wanted, and loved? How many of us could have made our way in the world without the support and guidance of our families, often well into adulthood?
Fortunately, some Crown Wards do make itҗeven to top-notch universities and great careersagainst extraordinary odds. But far too many wind up homeless, in trouble with the law, or living in poverty. This is heartbreaking, particularly since they have already been through so much: neglect, abuse, and losing everything they knew when they were placed in foster care.
But it doesnגt have to be this way. There are thousands of families in Ontario that want to, and have been approved to, adopt children from foster care.
The Expert Panel your government commissioned to recommend how to fix the system returned its findings over 14 months ago. Its adoption recommendations are extensive, but not expensive, and provide the government with a blueprint that will bring the successes other provinces have had in modernizing adoption to Ontario.
Its time to move forward with these recommendations Җ every day that ticks by means another child in the Provinces care loses the opportunity to find an adoptive family. Please make this a priority for your government Җ we owe it to these kids.
Thanks to all for your continued support and help - If we work together we can truly make a difference!
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