Are you considering adoption to grow your family?
Adoption is a way to give a child or youth the security, sense of belonging and unconditional love they need and deserve. It is a lifelong commitment and can be one of the most rewarding decisions you’ll ever make.
Children and youth are looking for adoptive families for different reasons. Sometimes birth parents choose to make an adoption plan for their child or youth. In other circumstances, children and youth cannot safely return to their families. Children and youth need a permanent home where they can thrive and grow. You could become a parent to one or more of these children or youth and change their lives – and yours.
The information here focuses on children and youth who can be adopted in New Brunswick through the Department of Social Development, most often after they have come into foster care.
Ways you can help children and youth:
- Kinship is when a relative or someone with a close relationship to a child/youth cares for them (temporarily or permanently) when their parent(s) cannot. Examples of kinship providers are grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, godparents, friends, teachers, neighbours, coaches, etc. If you are considering kinship care visit the Kinship Care page for more information.
- A foster home is when an individual or family provides full-time care for a foster child/youth. Visit the Fostering a Child or Youth page for more information and to apply
- Respite or relief care is when an individual or family provides short-term care for a foster child/youth such as on weekends or holidays. Visit the Supporting Caregivers, Children and Youth Through Respite/Relief Care page for more information and to apply.
- Adoption is when an individual or family legally adopts a child/youth. There are multiple types of adoption, each with their own application process.
What you need to know before you begin the adoption process
There is an application process to adopt a child or youth. Children and youth of all ages need forever homes, but most of the children/youth are two years and older. Some are part of a sibling group. Many of the children/youth are between the ages of 12 and 18. Some have special needs (e.g, disability, or delays) due to abuse, neglect, exposure to substances in utero. Parenting a child or youth with special needs can be challenging but can add meaning and joy to your family’s life.
Every effort is made to find an adoptive family that best meets the child or youth’s specific needs over the long term. Adoptive families require certain strengths, knowledge and experiences, including:
- a healthy sense of self-esteem,
- strong sense of commitment,
- the ability to provide love and affection to a child or youth who may have difficulty returning those feelings,
- the ability to talk about feelings and to listen, so children/youth can talk about theirs,
- the ability to advocate on behalf of a child or youth with special needs,
- the ability to adjust to children or youth whose life experiences may not reflect your own,
- the patience to live with a child or youth who may have low self-esteem,
- a support system of relatives and/or friends,
- a willingness to work as part of a team with social workers and other professionals in the community for an indefinite period, and
- a willingness to be involved with others who are significant to the child or youth, such as birth parents, siblings, and foster parents.
How long does the adoption process take?
The length of time it takes to be matched with an infant, child, or youth for adoption depends on various factors such as the:
- Number of infants, children, and youth in need of adoption,
- Unique needs of the infant, child, or youth,
- Availability of families that are suitable match,
- Preferences of birth and adoptive families,
- Abilities and strengths of adoptive families, and
- Requirements of the adoption process.
Other types of adoption
Adopting a child or youth from another country or arranging a private adoption involves different processes.
Private Adoption
Private adoption is when an adoption agreement is made directly between biological parent(s) and prospective adoptive parent(s). This kind of adoption is arranged with a lawyer.
Your lawyer will notify the Department of Social Development 60 days prior to the child living with the adoptive parent. The Department of Social Development’s role in private adoption is to:
- Complete a private adoption assessment and make a recommendation,
- Ensure adoptive families provide the necessary documents, and
- Support the birth parent(s) and collect relevant information.
Immediate family adoption is when a family member adopts a child who is related to them. Immediately family members include grandparents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles to the child, or close relatives according to Indigenous customs. The Department of Social Development is not involved in this type of adoption.
Spousal adoption is when one spouse legally becomes the parent of their spouse's child. The Department of Social Development is not involved in this process.
If you are interested in adopting an immediate family member, your spouse’s child, and/or privately, contact a lawyer who specializes in family law. If you need help finding a lawyer, search for “adoption family law lawyer near me” online or visit the Law Society of New Brunswick’s website.
Intercountry Adoption
The intercountry adoption process is complex, time consuming and can be expensive. Gentle Path Counselling Services assists New Brunswicker’s who are interested in pursuing an International Adoption. Call 1-888-394-4022 or email adopt@gentlepathsj.com for more information.
New Brunswick Adoption Grant
To support New Brunswick families who have chosen to adopt, the provincial government is offering a one-time grant of $1,000 to offset the costs associated with adoption. The grant is automatic for qualifying families who adopt through New Brunswick’s Department of Social Development. Families who choose international or private adoptions can apply for the grant.
Don’t rule yourself out. Children and youth have different needs, experiences, and interests. We are looking for caring people with diverse backgrounds. You don’t have to be married, wealthy, or have a specific educational background to adopt a child or youth.
Our top priority is to find safe and caring homes for children and youth.
You may be eligible to adopt a child or youth if you:
- Are 19 years of age or older (professional care homes require you to be 21),
- Are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident,
- You are a Canadian citizen if you were born in Canada or granted Canadian citizenship. Depending on the circumstances, it is possible that someone born outside of Canada may also be a Canadian citizen. Visit the Government of Canada’s website for more information on Canadian Citizenship.
- A permanent resident is someone who has been given permanent resident status by immigrating to Canada, but is not a Canadian citizen.
- Live in New Brunswick. If you are applying as a couple, the primary applicant must be living in New Brunswick.
- Primary applicant – The main person/contact who will be applying to adopt a child or youth.
- Have a living space that provides a secure and healthy environment for children/ youth, and
- Complete the application, training, and review process.
To get started with your application to adopt online, click the Start now button at the bottom of the page.
You will be asked a series of questions to help you decide if you should apply. This will take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete. If it looks like adoption may be a good fit for you, you will be prompted to create an account or login to the Community Care NB portal (CCNB).
This new and secure feature allows you to apply online, safely upload documents, save your progress, and access important resources/information.
If you already have an account:
Click the login button at the top right of the page. Enter your log in information in the fields provided and click Log in button to proceed.
If you do NOT have an account:
To create a new account, enter your first name, last name, and email in the fields provided.
When you are done, click the Create an account button to proceed.
Once you have successfully logged in or created an account, we will ask you to provide more information about yourself and any other people living in your household.
If you prefer, you can download and print an application to complete by hand. Email your completed application form and supporting documents to adoption@gnb.ca or mail to:
Adoption
551 King St.
Sartain MacDonald Building
PO Box 6000
Fredericton, NB
E3B 1E7
Please allow for extra processing time if you mail your application.
Adopting an infantChildren and youth of all ages need a forever home. At this time, the minimum waiting period to adopt an infant in New Brunswick is 7 years. If you are certain that you are only able to adopt an infant under the age of 2 years old: 1) Complete *ONLY the first two sections of the application:
*To make sure your information is current, you will be invited to complete the rest of the application (including references and safety/background checks) closer to when your assessment begins. Please do not complete your Criminal Record checks and/or provide references in advance. 2) Send an email to adoption@gnb.ca to let them know when you have completed both sections. If you are open to adopting a child or youth both under AND over the age of 2: 1) Complete all sections of the application. Adopting a child is a big decision. You can change your mind about age or other preferences at any time during the application process. |
Complete your application at your own convenience.
Online applications are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The ability to save your progress makes it easy to pause and resume your application as needed.
Once your application has been submitted, it will be reviewed.
Get help with your application
Email: socialsupportsnb@gnb.ca
If you have questions about your application, you can contact us by phone at 1-506-259-0232. Phone lines are open Monday-Friday between 8:15am and 4:30pm, excluding holidays.
To complete your application, you must be willing to:
Share personal information (ex: relationship status, name(s), gender, date of birth, etc.),
Share financial and medical information,
Provide all the supporting documents required by Social Development at any time in the process,
Authorize a Social Development record check,
- Social Development record checks allow the department to check their records to see if you were involved or mentioned in any reported, investigated, or confirmed cases of abuse/neglect involving a child, youth, senior, or person with a disability.
Participate in a family assessment,
Participate in PRIDE (Parent Resources for Information, Development and Education) Virtual Training (required for all applicants),
Provide names and contact details of three references, and
Provide a Criminal and Vulnerable Sector Record Check (for all adults 19 years of age or older living in the household, and any immediate family members with a criminal history).
- A Criminal and Vulnerable Sector Record Check, is a special kind of background check done by the police. This check is done to make sure that people who want certain jobs or responsibilities are safe and trustworthy.
- Criminality Checks will look at your criminal history to see if you have done something against the law in the past.
- Vulnerability Checks help identify people who may pose a risk to the safety of vulnerable groups (ex: children or youth, seniors, people living with a disability, etc.).
Help us improve!Estimated time to complete survey: 2 minutes Your journey to adopt or foster is important to us, and we'd love to hear about your application experience. Whether you applied online or by paper, whether it happened recently or in the past, your feedback helps us improve the experience for future families. |