The Adoption Choice / Calgary Sexual Health
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The Adoption Choice

Adoption can be a good choice if you do not want to parent and you would like to continue the pregnancy. Making an adoption plan can be done at any time before or after the birth of your child. Although you may make an adoption plan prior to the child’s birth, legal documents cannot be signed until after the child’s birth.

Since it may be a difficult decision emotionally to give a child up for adoption you may wish to seek counselling for yourself, the birthfather (if he is involved) and your family. Private adoption agencies offer counseling before and after the birth.

The following self-questionnaire may help you explore some of your values and feeling about adoption. You might also want to re-read the Options – Deciding What To Do section.

  1. What were my views on adoption before I became pregnant?
  2. Have these views changed since finding out about the pregnancy?
  3. How would I feel about continuing the pregnancy and giving birth but not raising the child?
  4. How would carrying the pregnancy to term impact my life?
  5. How would making this choice impact my life in the long term?
  6. Could I support myself and my child?
  7. If I already have one or more children, how will having another impact our lives?
  8. Do I need to postpone being a parent myself until later in my life when I am prepared to parent?
  9. Could I help the child to have potential parents who are ready to be parents and can love and care for the child
    throughout his or her life?
  10. Do I have the support I need to continue the pregnancy and make an adoption plan? What kind of support do I need to make an adoption plan?
  11. How would the father feel about adoption?
  12. Do I feel pressured in any way to make this choice?
  13. What would make this the best choice for me?
  14. What is the best choice to make for my child?
  15. What type of adoption would work best for me?




Birthfather Rights

Under the Family Law Act (2005) both the birth mother and the birth father are equally considered to be legal guardians, regardless of their marital or common law status. Both parents are therefore required to sign consent forms prior to the placement of a child in an adoptive home.

If the birth father is not known or cannot be located, Alberta Children’s Services will be notified about the intention to place the child for adoption. The birthmother will have to sign an affidavit outlining why she does not know who the birthfather is. A lawyer must then go to Court on behalf of the adoptive parents to request an Order from the Court to dispense with the need for his consent. All legal costs are covered by the potential adoptive parents.

A birthfather does have the right to contest an adoption placement, though with counselling fathers are often supportive of the plan. In rare circumstances, such as abuse by the birthfather, the need to inform him may be waived.


Adoption in Alberta

There are three ways to place a child for adoption in Alberta: government adoption, private adoption or direct placement. Regulations governing all types of adoption are set by the provincial government and laws vary from province to province.

A government adoption or “closed adoption” means the child is placed with a family through government social services. Such placements are "closed" adoptions because the birthparents and adoptive parents are not given identifying information about each other. This means the child does not know who his/her birthparents are while growing up.

There is no provision to provide updated medical information through this type of adoption. Birthmothers can receive basic non-identifying information about prospective adoptive parents and choose from these. Generally the child does not go to the adoptive family directly from the hospital, but may first be placed in a foster home for a few days.

To find out more about government adoptions visit:

Calgary and Area Child & Family Services Authority Alberta Government Local Adoption Office Intake
Calgary Phone: 403-297-6038
Edmonton Phone: 780-422-3333
Click here for a list of offices across Alberta.

Many birthparents who choose adoption work with private adoption agencies. It is called an “open adoption” because there is an open exchange of information between the birthparents and adoptive parents and they negotiate conditions of further contact together. Licensed adoption agencies are licensed by the government to work in the area of adoption.

It is the parent(s) right to choose the agency she wishes to work with. Contacting an agency and going in to talk does not mean that a decision to place the child for adoption has necessarily been made. Many people choose to obtain information about adoption as part of their decision-making.

Through a licensed agency, the birth parents have the right to choose the adoptive family by looking at files, meeting the chosen family and having ongoing contact with the family before and after the placement of her child. The agreement for contact following the placement of the child is not considered legally binding; however, it is mentioned in the court documents. Agencies do consider such agreements to be ethically binding and the vast majority of open adoptions work very well for the child, the birthparent(s) and the adoptive parents.

The birth a birth parent has ten days after consent is signed to change their mind with respect to the adoption.

The following are licensed private adoption agencies in the province of Alberta:

Adoption By Choice Calgary Phone: 403-245-8854
Edmonton Phone: 780-448-1159


Adoption Options
Calgary Phone: 403- 270-8228
Edmonton Phone: 780-447-4763

Christian Adoption Services
Calgary Phone: 403-256-3224
Edmonton Phone: 780-438-3455
Toll-Free: 1-877-256-3224

A direct placement adoption means the birthparent(s) place(s) the child with a friend or relative. Generally it occurs when the birthparent(s) know(s) the adoptive parents.

Birthparents have the right to request a home assessment of adoptive parents to be considered in the adoptive process. Adoptive parents can file for adoption on their own with the assistance of a self help kit for direct adoption or go through a licensed agency or lawyer.

In a direct placement a birthparent still has ten days to change their mind from the time the consents are signed.

Click here to find out more about direct placement adoptions in Alberta.






Post Adoption Registry

In Alberta there is a registry where background information, including medical information given at the time of placement is maintained. Through this registry, adopted children who are over the age of 18 can reconnect with birthparents and adult birth siblings (adoptive parents can help children under the age of 18 with this).

As of January 1, 2005, the Alberta Government opened access to identifying information contained in adoption records which mean that birth parents and adoptees over the age of 18 can have access to identifying information about each other. Those parties who want their information to remain confidential must file a disclosure veto with Alberta’s Post Adoption Registry. This veto will prevent the release of any birth registration or adoption information identifying the person.

For more information see Alberta Children and Youth Services