Other resources

Looking for more resources? Check out our list of other adoption-related websites. The listing is broken up alphabetically, and by topic.

Please note: AFABC takes no responsibility for the content of externally linked websites. 

Adoption information | Attachment | Breastfeeding | Children and youth | Documentation | Drugs and alcohol | Family support resources | Finances | LGBTQ | Government | Infertility | Licensed adoption agencies | Search and reunion | Special needs | Transracial and international

Adoption information

Adoption Council of Ontario
The Adoption Council of Ontario (ACO) is a non-profit charitable organization formed in 1987 by representatives of the adoption community of Ontario.

Their Board of Directors and general membership represent all aspects of adoption: birth parents, adoptees, adoptive parents, and adoption professionals from Ontario. Their adoption resource centre is supported through memberships, donations and program fees.

1-877-ADOPT 20 | info@adoption.on.ca
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Adoption Support Centre of Saskatchewan
The Adoption Support Centre of Saskatchewan offers comprehensive support and education services through all stages of the adoption process. Whether you’re a birth parent exploring options, a prospective parent looking into adoption, an adoptee seeking reunion or support, or anywhere in between, ASCS is here to assist.

1-866-869-2727 | admin@adoptionsask.org
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Adopt4Life Ontario
Adopt4Life–Ontario’s Association for kin, customary care, and adoptive parents and caregivers, is a community of people with lived experience that strengthens and empowers parents and caregivers to achieve permanency for children so that they reach their full potential. They believe all adoptive, kinship and customary care parents and caregivers have a right to advocacy, support and guidance throughout their lifelong journey.

1 888-274-6222 | info@adopt4life.com
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AdoptOntario
AdoptOntario™ is for families interested in adoption – whether approved for adoption, in the process of being assessed or making initial inquiries about the process. We support the connection between families, and children waiting in Ontario’s foster care system for a permanent family, using technology, clinical support and cooperation with adoption workers in our province’s public and private adoption systems.

1-877-236-7820 | info@adoptontario.ca
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Alberta Adoption
The Province of Alberta's website for adoption.

780-422-0178 | Contact email form
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BC Adoption Act
The law that governs adoption in BC.
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BC Employment Standards Act > Parental Leave
This section of the BC Employment Standards Act explains who is entitled to parental leave, the length of the leave and how the employee must request the leave.
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BC Family Law Act
The provincial Family Law Act is the primary legislation on family law issues in British Columbia. It applies to married spouses, unmarried spouses, and people in other unmarried relationships. It also applies to people who have an interest in caring for someone else's children, like a family member or friend.
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Canada’s Waiting Children and Youth
CWCY profiles children and youth awaiting adoption or other forms of permanency (i.e. kinship care, customary care, legal guardianship, moral adoption) in a secure manner.

Any provincial government or public child welfare agency can refer profiles of waiting children and youth, with or without a photo.

Canada's Waiting Children and Youth is NOT an adoption agency - they liaise with provincial governments and public child welfare agencies to help connect the children and youth in their care with families interested in adoption and other forms of permanency.

613-680-2999 | cwcinfo@adoption.ca
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Child and Youth Permanency Council of Canada
The  Child and Youth Permanency Council of Canada (formally the Adoption Council of Canada) is Canada’s voice for adoption, unifying communities’ commitment to permanency for waiting children and youth. They support and encourage people along their adoption journey, connecting them to the families and resources they need.

613-680-2999 | info@adoption.ca 

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Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Canada
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption-Canada is a nonprofit public charity dedicated exclusively to finding permanent homes for the more than 30,000 children waiting to be adopted from Canada’s foster care system. Through its signature program, Wendy’s Wonderful Kids, the Foundation provides grants to public and private adoption agencies. These agencies hire adoption professionals who implement the Foundation’s evidence-based, child-focused recruitment model, which is up to three times more effective at serving youth who have been in foster care the longest.

The Foundation also works closely with child welfare advocates and policymakers, provides free resources for adoptive families, and raises awareness about the critical need for foster care adoption.

1-800-ASK-DTFA | info@davethomasfoundation.org
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Ministry of Children and Family Development
The Ministry of Children and Family Development’s primary focus is to support all children and youth in British Columbia to live in safe, healthy and nurturing families and be strongly connected to their communities and culture. The ministry’s approach is to provide inclusive, culturally respectful, responsive and accessible services that support the well-being of children, youth and families in B.C.

This section has key information for those looking to adopt a child and explains the adoption options available in BC.
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New Brunswick Adoption Foundation
The Foundation actively promotes adoption in our area. They are supported by the province, as well as donations from individuals and businesses who share our vision.

506-832-0676 | info@nbadoption.ca
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North American Council on Adoptable Children
Founded by adoptive parents in 1974, the North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC) works to ensure all children in foster care have permanent, loving families and adoptive families have the support they need.

651-644-3036 | info@nacac.org
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Québec Adoption
The Province of Québec's website on adoption. 

Contact information
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Attachment

ATTAch - Association for Training on Trauma and Attachment in Children
ATTACh is an international coalition of professionals and families dedicated to helping those with attachment difficulties by sharing our knowledge, talents, and resources.

612-861-4222 | info@attach.org
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Attachment & Trauma Network
The Attachment & Trauma Network has been the VOICE for traumatized children and their families since 1995. Through their mission of Support-Education-Advocacy, they seek to improve the lives of children impacted by early childhood trauma, abuse and neglect, and prenatal exposures in their families, schools and communities. 

heart@attachtrauma.org
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Institute for Attachment & Child Development

The Institute for Attachment & Child Development works every day to unite families. They believe all people-no matter their past or present experiences-deserve the opportunity to live healthy lives in peaceful homes.

Adults and kids living with attachment disorder feel lost and alone. Many don’t understand the disorder and can’t find effective resources or a supportive community to combat it.

They have the resources, community, guidance, and treatment people need to find relief from attachment disorder. Through relentless research and determination since 1972, they have created a therapy model that works for the toughest kids. 

303-674-1910 | info@instituteforattachment.org
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Breastfeeding

La Leche League International: Breastfeeding an adopted baby
LLLI is a nonprofit, nonpolitical, and nonsectarian organization—recognized as an authority on breastfeeding around the world—founded by seven amazing women in 1956 in Franklin Park, Illinois, USA.

Through a network of accredited volunteer “Leaders,” LLLI currently has a presence in sixty-five countries around the world. Leaders have breastfed their own babies and been specially trained to help mothers with breastfeeding. They keep up-to-date through continued training and studies of the most current medical research on breastfeeding.

1-800-LALECHE | info@llli.org
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Children and youth

AgedOut.com
AgedOut.com is for young adults who were in government care in BC. It's an up-to-date warehouse of information on resources and services available to young adults and a learning tool to help people feel empowered as they leave care.

AgedOut.com was built after listening to the voices of former youth in care to make sure the site meets their needs.

604-320-7330 | info@agedout.com
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B.C. Representative for Children and Youth
Since 2007, British Columbia’s Representative for Children and Youth has supported our province’s young people and their families in dealing with the provincial child and youth welfare system.

The Representative also provides oversight to this system and makes recommendations to improve it.

1-800-476-3933 | rcy@rcybc.ca
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Federation of BC Youth in Care Networks
The Federation of BC Youth in Care Networks (FBCYICN, or the Fed) is a youth-driven, provincial non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of young people in and from care in BC between the ages of 14 and 24.

1-800-565-8055 | info@fbcyicn.ca
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Society for Children and Youth of B.C.
The Society for Children and Youth of BC (SCY) is a unique provincial organization dedicated to improving the well-being of children and youth in British Columbia.

Since 1974, the Society has focused on providing a strong voice representing children and youth. They provide support to adult duty bearers to improve the well-being of children and youth in British Columbia.

Using the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as a foundation, SCY has a track record of creating and delivering programs that have motivated change in research, legislation, policy, and practice in Canada.

1-877-462-0037 | info@scyofbc.org
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Documentation

Apostille – Authentication and Legalization of Canadian Documents
The Canadian apostille process is officially called “document authentication and legalization”. So if you’ve been told you need to obtain an apostille for your Canadian documents you will actually be authenticating and legalizing your documents. 

1-888-433-1011 | Contact form
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Notarizing your documents before authentication and legalization
Information website on how and why you need to get your documents notarized.

1-888-433-1011 | info@idocscanada.ca
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Drugs and alcohol

Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse

An Act of Parliament created the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) in 1988 as a non-governmental organization to provide national leadership on substance use and to advance solutions to address alcohol- and other drug-related harms.

CCSA provides guidance to decision-makers through harnessing the power of research, collecting and organizing knowledge, and bringing together diverse perspectives. The organization holds a unique position by developing different partnerships with not-for-profit associations, government agencies — especially public health and law enforcement — and industry.

1-833-235-4048 | Contact form
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Family support resources

Asante Centre
The centre provides assessment, therapies, primary care, and community strengthening for people with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and other developmental diversities.

info@asantecentre.org 
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Autism Community Training (ACT)
ACT provides information and training to enable parents, professionals and para-professionals to support children and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Toll-free: 1-866-939-5188 | info@actcommunity.ca 

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 BC Council for Families

The BC Council for Families is a BC registered non-profit, charitable organization whose purpose is to serve professionals, support families and strengthen communities.

For over 40 years BCCF has been developing and delivering family support resources and training programs to professionals across the province that focus on prevention, inclusiveness and building skills and confidence.

604-678-8884 | bccf@bccf.ca
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BC Federation of Foster Parent Associations

The BC Federation of Foster Parent Associations is a provincial organization for foster parents and governed by foster parent representation from all areas of the province. 

BCFFPA is a registered non-profit charity which aims to bring together foster parents, social workers and other stakeholders who are working to improve the standard of care for children in our province. They provide information to the general public about fostering, recruitment services to MCFD and DAAs, offer foster parents opportunities for education, and we provide direct support to foster parents when they encounter challenges in the work they do. One of our key roles in the province is to advise and consult on the development and revision of policy and practice for BC’s child welfare sector.

1-800-663-9999 | office@bcfosterparents.ca
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Canada Adopts
Canada Adopts! is Canada’s most popular and successful online adoption profile service.

info@canadaadopts.com
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CBI Consultants
CBI is committed to providing person centered inclusive practices for persons with disabilities. They offer training, behavioural consultation for persons with autism, and research. 

 604-320-1960 | info@cbiconsultants.ca 
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Family Support Institute of BC
The Family Support Institute of BC (FSI) is a provincial not for profit society committed to supporting families who have a family member with a disability.

1-800-441-5403 | fsi@fsibc.com

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Indigenous Perspectives Society
Indigenous Perspectives Society (IPS) is a charitable and not-for-profit social enterprise that offers training, consulting, and projects to help foster a deeper understanding of Indigenous perspectives, cultural differences, and the need for self-determination. By creating excellence through training and leadership, they help strengthen lives and build successful relationships in the communities they serve. 

250-391-0007 | info@ipsociety.ca
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Métis Family Services
Métis Family Services is committed to working collaboratively with Métis families and our community to increase their capacity to nurture and care for their children in a manner that supports family wellness and celebrates Métis history and cultural traditions.

604-584-6621 | reception@metisfamilyservices.ca
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Parent Support Services of BC
Parent Support Services Society offers a Support Line for Kinship Caregivers, Facilitation Training and Parenting Workshops. We operate Support Circles, across BC, for those in a parenting role. These Support Circles (run in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Filipino & Korean) include Circles for: grandparents raising their grandchildren and other kinship caregivers; parents of children on the autism spectrum, Indigenous communities; parents of children who are trans or gender creative; and more.

1-877-345-9777 | office@parentsupportbc.ca
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Parent Support Services of BC: Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
Run by the Parent Support Services of BC, the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren group offers support circles, a support line, legal guide, and events all to support Grandparents offering kinship care. 

1-855-474-9777 | GRGline@parentsupportbc.ca
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Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society
Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society (VACFSS) is a leader in delivering culturally-grounded, restorative family services to urban Indigenous families in the Coast Salish territory of greater Vancouver.

604-872-6723 | info@vacfss.com
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Finances

National Bank of Canada > Adoption loans
Information from the Nationtional Bank of Canada regarding securing an adoption loan. 

1-888-835-6281 | Make an appointment
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Post Adoption Assistance Program
Information regarding BC's Post Adoption Assitance Program.

Adoptive parents can apply for financial support only with the assistance of their Adoption Social Worker. 
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LGBTQ2+

Families Like Mine
A website created by Abigail Garner, author of the Lambda Literary finalist, Families Like Mine: Children of Gay Parents Tell It Like It Is.

This site launched in 1999 with the mission to decrease isolation for people who have parents who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT), and bring a voice to their experiences. This site now serves as a partial archive of her work as a spokesperson and educator.

You will find information about Abigail’s book, Families Like Mine, as well as Abigail’s background and highlights of media coverage. If you are looking for advice and guidance for your family, check out the archived advice column for LGBT families.
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ProudParenting.com
Proud Parenting is an award-winning information source for LGBTQ parents. They provide relevant news and the largest photo gallery of LGBTQ parents with their families.
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Government

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada
The Government of Canada's website on immigration and citizenship.
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Service Canada > Employment Insurance and Parental Benefits
The Government of Canada's website on adoption parental benefits. 
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Infertility

Infertility Network
InterNational Council on Infertility Information Dissemination
Internet Health Resources
IVF.ca
FertileThoughts
Resolve

Licensed adoption agencies 
The Adoption Center of British Columbia
Sunrise Family Services Society

Search and reunion
BC Adoption Reunion Registry
BC Vital Statistics
Canadian Adoptees Registry
Forget Me Not Family Society
Origins Canada: Supporting those separated by adoption

Special needs
Inclusive Education Resources, Ministry of Education
Sources
BC Centre for Ability
Canucks Autism network
Queen Alexandra Centre for Children’s Health
Vancouver Island Children's Assessment Network
The Asante Centre
Comeunity
Find Support BC
Pacific Autism Family Network
Sunnyhill Health Centre for Children

Transracial and international
Blur Digital
Dr. Joseph Crumbley
Eastern European Adoption Coalition
Empowering Adopted Children of Color in the Face of Racism and Discrimination
Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption
Families with Children from Viet Nam
Guatemala Adoptive Families Network
Hague Convention regarding international adoption
PACT: An Adoption Alliance
Tips on international adoption travel
Vietnam Adoption