ALBERTANS CAN VIEW CHILDREN AT WEB SITEOn Feb. 10, 2003 Alberta's Ministry of Children's Services launched an adoption web site in an effort to move more children from foster care into adoptive homes each year. (MCS statistics say that only 116 of Alberta's 4,700 permanent wards were adopted in 2002.) The Alberta government's photolisting web site shows photos and brief descriptions of over 50 children which Alberta families may adopt. Exceptionally, the ministry may consider families in other provinces. On Feb. 11 Alberta's director of child welfare began an investigation after a foster mother complained that her foster children were listed on the site without their knowledge. She said they learned they were available for adoption from school classmates. The profiles of the three children were removed from the site, a social worker was reprimanded for failing to advisethe children and the ministry agreed to consult more with foster parents before running profiles. Children over 12 are given a say on whether they appear on the web site. The province's privacy commissioner Frank Work said Feb. 12 that he was concerned the site had too much personal information about the children. Children's Services accepted Mr. Work's request to remove details on medical and psychiatric problems, and on physical and emotional abuse some children had suffered from birth parents. The ministry also agreed not to add more children to the site for three months. It would then evaluate the site's effectiveness. The site was down to 57 profiles by the end of April, from 93 at its launch on Feb. 10, 2003. Mark Kastner, spokesperson for AlbertaChildren's Services, said on Feb. 24 that 13 of the 93 had been removed because of adoption matches. He said 40 families had expressed interest in those 13 children. In the Calgary Herald of March 30, 2003 Mr. Kastner said that other provinces have expressed an interest in possibly copying Alberta's adoption photolisting site. He cited British Columbia, Manitoba and Ontario. MEDIA REPORTS Investigation into adoption site to take another week, Feb. 14, 2003, calgary.cbc.ca/template/servlet/View?filename=ca_adopt20030214 Alberta minister cleared in Internet adoptions, Feb. 25, 2003, www.cbc.ca/storyview/CBC/2003/02/24/adoptions030224 Adoption site seen as model, Calgary Herald, March 30, 2003 ACC'S POSITION ON PHOTOLISTING SITES At its board meeting Feb. 22-23, 2003 the Adoption Council of Canada stated its policy on recruitment and photolisting, which is under review. ACC stands for finding permanent homes for children in ways respectful of privacy. Access to ACC's "Canada's Waiting Children" photolisting site is restricted to users with a password. The board said it will offer to help Alberta and the Privacy Commissioner in developing ethical guidelines for all child-specific recruitment, including internet photolisting, which might be of broad use across the country. BACKGROUND ON WEB PHOTOLISTINGS Photolistings are lists of children available for adoption (usually through public agencies), with photos and descriptions. They may be printed in a book or newspaper, shown on TV or posted at a web site. Although listing waiting children on the web is relatively new in Canada, the practice has long existed in the United States. U.S. adoption exchanges publish photolisting books on the web for one or more states, for regions, or for the nation, and provide other information about children with special needs who are available for adoption. The leading photolisting site, AdoptUSKids, www.adoptuskids.org, is funded by the federal government. Its national database lists 3,000 U.S. children awaiting adoption, and families approved to adopt. At this site families can search for children, and social workers can register children's photos and profiles and search for families. Canada's only national photolisting web site is "Canada's Waiting Children", by the Adoption Council of Canada. It is funded by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. The CWC site lists photos and profiles of Canadian children in the care of Canadian child welfare agencies and waiting for permanent adoptive families. To view the photos and background information, get a password by filling in the Password Request Form. (It takes about one working day to get a password.) To receive information on all children listed with the Canada's Waiting Children program, download the Family Information Form and indicate you would like to get a printed photolisting package by mail ($25 fee). You canalso call 1-888-542-3678 to get the package. This service is available only to Canadian residents. Children registered with Canada's Waiting Children tend to be more challenging than most of the Canadian children in need of permanent families. This is because children are referred to CWC only when no adoptive family can be found in their home region. CWC will pass on your expression of interest in a child to the child's agency. PHOTOLISTING WEB SITES FOR CANADA NATIONAL: Canada's Waiting Children, www.canadaswaitingkids.ca. Photos and profiles of Canadian children awaiting adoption, viewable with a password. Adoption Council of Canada. BRITISH COLUMBIA: Adoption Bulletin, www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/adoption/bulletin_external. Profiles of B.C. children in care and awaiting adoption. Ministry of Children and Family Development. ALBERTA: Adoption Profile Lookup, www.child.gov.ab.ca/whatwedo/adoption/profilelookup.cfm. Profiles of children to be placed with Alberta families. Exceptionally, families in other provinces may be considered. Ministry of Children's Services. ALBERTA: Wednesday's Child, www.child.gov.ab.ca/whatwedo/adoption/page.cfm?pg=Wednesday%27s%20Child. Profile of one special needs child a week. Ministry of Children's Services. ONTARIO: Today's Child - December 2002, www.cfcs.gov.on.ca/CFCS/en/programs/Children/Adoption/Publications/0212tc.htm. A photo and profile of one child a month, as in "Today's Child" newspaper column. December 2002 shows "Aidan". Ministry of Community, Family and Children's Services. Source: Adoption Council of Canada, www.adoption.ca |
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