Adoption Process

Prospective adoptive parents applying to The Children’s Aid Society of Hamilton must reside in the City of Hamilton and must also be the legal minimum age of 18 years old.

The first step in adopting a child through the CAS is to attend a mandatory Adoption Information Meeting. During this session, you will learn about adoption through the CAS, the adoption process and have the opportunity to have your questions answered by Adoption Workers.

Should you choose to pursue adoption through the CAS, you will be required to take part in a home-study consisting of several interviews and a meeting in your home, in addition to pre-adoption training during which you will be encouraged to assess your attitudes and abilities. Through this interactive process, a decision can be made about whether adoption is right for you, and if so, what kind of child or children would be an appropriate match for you to parent. In addition, you will be required to provide a character reference, current medical records and a police check.

Anyone interested in adopting a newborn through the Society must have their home-study completed by a private Adoption Worker before their name can be placed on the Society’s waiting list.

Once adoptive parents have been selected for a child, there will be several visits to allow the child to get to know the adoptive family and surroundings before moving into the home. The exact number of visits and the length of visits varies depending on the individual child and the situation.

By law, there is a minimum six-month waiting period from the time a child moves into their new home until an adoption can be completed. This is the time when relationships can begin to solidify. Once the minimum waiting period has passed and everyone is ready to complete the adoption, the CAS applies to the court for an Adoption Order, making the adopting parents the child’s legal parents and the child a legal member of their family.