Adopting Through Beginnings

Beginnings has been working with Canadian families since 1985. We are a well-funded, private adoption agency licensed by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services to provide adoption services in Ontario. Beyond Ontario, we can provide adoption services on a case by case basis in provinces and territories that have provision for private adoption.

Beginnings is a non-profit, faith-based agency providing services to clients of all ethnic backgrounds, religious affiliations, and walks of life. Our approach to family services is centred around the child and we are dedicated to building and supporting healthy family relationships. Beginnings offers quality, non-judgmental services to everyone, does not participate in political action, and is committed to the concept of openness.

Adoption Step-By-Step

Beginnings offers a full-service menu of adoption-related services that follows a logical step-by-step approach in bringing you together with a beautiful child. The process is as follows:

1. Attend a PRIDE pre-service training program. As of January 1, 2008, PRIDE training is mandatory for all couples adopting in Ontario.
2. Have your home study completed by a private Adoption Practitioner. A home study is an in-depth assessment of your family and may take several months to complete. CLICK HERE for more information from the Ontario government.
3. Read all you can about adoption; learn about open adoption.
4. Begin work on your profile, describing your family through words and pictures in a booklet or scrapbook that will be shown to birth parents. (Create your Profile)
5. Register with Beginnings – you can do this at any point during steps 1 through 4, once you have decided to pursue adoption through Beginnings. (Register with Beginnings)
6. Once your home study is complete and you have a draft copy of your profile, you are ready to come in for a Consultation as the final step in moving to our Active List of prospective adoptive couples. (Consultation)
7. Once on the Active List, your profile will be considered for presentation to birth parents based on your range of acceptance and the “best fit” birth parents are hoping for. Beginnings has around 70 couples who are ready to adopt on our Active List at any given time.
8. Once a birth parent has selected a couple on the basis of their profile, Beginnings’ counselors facilitate a meeting between the birth parents and the adoptive couple so they can get acquainted before each party makes a final decision about proceeding. Your Private Practitioner is encouraged to attend.
9. If both parties agree to proceed, they usually meet on several occasions before the birth to work out a mutually agreed upon plan for contact after the birth of the baby.
10. Beginnings prepares and submits a Proposal to the Ministry of Children and Youth Services regarding the proposed placement. A Proposal is a comprehensive package of all the required documents. It must be reviewed by the Ministry staff and approval given before a child is placed in an adoptive family.
11. When the baby is born, if Ministry approval has been granted, the baby can go home with the adoptive parents directly from the hospital. Otherwise, the baby is cared for in one of Beginnings approved Care homes.
12. Birth parents are provided with independent legal advice before they sign a “Parent’s Consent to Adoption” in the presence of a lawyer. This cannot be signed before the eighth day after the birth.
13. Once Consents are signed, birth parents have 21 days during which they may reverse their adoption plan.
14. Beginnings offers to facilitate an Entrustment Ceremony with the birth and adoptive families usually at the time of placement of the child with the adoptive couple.