Adoption Disclosure Register (Ontario)
Encyclopedia
The Adoption Disclosure Register (ADR) is an adoption reunion registry
operated by the government of Ontario
, Canada
. It implements the adoption disclosure provisions of the Child and Family Services Act.
A passive search is simply a list, maintained by the Ministry of Community and Social Services, of adoptees and birth relatives who have requested contact with their birth relatives. When both an adoptee and a birth relative of an adoptee appears on the list, officials alert both to this and contact details are exchanged. Any adoptee or birth relative may request a passive search.
An active search must be done at the request of an adoptee. Government employees who have access to the original name of a specified birth relative (mother, father, grandfather, etc.) then attempt to locate and contact this person. If successful, they ask whether this person desires contact with the adoptee. If so, contact details are exchanged; if not, the adoptee is informed of this and no contact information is given.
The right to request an active search is only offered to adoptees, not birth relatives. However, since the time resources expended in an active search are considerable, there is presently a long queue of outstanding requests for active searches.
Frustration with the ADR was the primary motivation for the passing of the Adoption Information Disclosure Act
in November 2005. This act, when implemented, will unsealed adoption records, allowing individuals to take the initiative of contacting birth relatives.
After the bill's passage, Ontario Social Services Minister Madeleine Meilleur
announced the ADR will close once the bill is implemented, beginning with the cessation of active search requests on April 26, 2006.
This proposed closure of the ADR was criticized by the groups that had campaigned for the act's passage, on the basis that the ADR provided important services, such as conducting searches and coordinating reunions, which would be necessary even when records are unsealed.
The Adoption Information Disclosure Act was ruled unconstitutional by an Ontario Superior Court judge and set aside in September 2007, two days after its provisions took effect. The Ontario government has announced that it will not appeal that
decision.
As of November 2007, neither the new procedures that were to allow adoptees access to their long form birth certificates on the same basis as all other persons, nor the previous location services under the ADR are available.
Although long form birth certificates are now required as primary documents for other government-issued identification and for immigration and visa purposes and for driver's licenses in other jurisdictions, they are completely unobtainable to Ontario-born adoptees.
Adoption reunion registry
An adoption reunion registry is a formal mechanism where adoptees and their birth family members can be reunited. Registries may be free or charge fees, be facilitated by non-profit organizations, government agencies or private businesses....
operated by the government of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It implements the adoption disclosure provisions of the Child and Family Services Act.
Background
Under Ontario law prior to November 2005, the identity of birth parents was not given out to adoptees, nor was the identity of adoptees given out to birth relatives. Either party seeking to make contact may apply to have their name placed on the register.Services offered
The register offers two distinct services: passive and active search. In all cases other than medical emergencies, identifying information is never given out before consent is obtained from both parties.A passive search is simply a list, maintained by the Ministry of Community and Social Services, of adoptees and birth relatives who have requested contact with their birth relatives. When both an adoptee and a birth relative of an adoptee appears on the list, officials alert both to this and contact details are exchanged. Any adoptee or birth relative may request a passive search.
An active search must be done at the request of an adoptee. Government employees who have access to the original name of a specified birth relative (mother, father, grandfather, etc.) then attempt to locate and contact this person. If successful, they ask whether this person desires contact with the adoptee. If so, contact details are exchanged; if not, the adoptee is informed of this and no contact information is given.
The right to request an active search is only offered to adoptees, not birth relatives. However, since the time resources expended in an active search are considerable, there is presently a long queue of outstanding requests for active searches.
Future of the Register
While it implements the relevant legislation correctly, the ADR has received significant amounts of criticism from adoptees and birth relatives for being slow and unreliable. The active search for birth relatives is dependent on government resources, and the waiting list for active search can be as long as a decade.Frustration with the ADR was the primary motivation for the passing of the Adoption Information Disclosure Act
Adoption Information Disclosure Act
The Adoption Information Disclosure Act, formally An Act respecting the disclosure of information and records to adopted persons and birth parents, also known as Bill 183, is an Ontario law regarding the disclosure of information between parties involved in adoptions.Passed by the Legislative...
in November 2005. This act, when implemented, will unsealed adoption records, allowing individuals to take the initiative of contacting birth relatives.
After the bill's passage, Ontario Social Services Minister Madeleine Meilleur
Madeleine Meilleur
Madeleine Meilleur is a politician in Ontario, Canada. She is a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and is a cabinet minister in the government of Premier Dalton McGuinty.-Background:...
announced the ADR will close once the bill is implemented, beginning with the cessation of active search requests on April 26, 2006.
This proposed closure of the ADR was criticized by the groups that had campaigned for the act's passage, on the basis that the ADR provided important services, such as conducting searches and coordinating reunions, which would be necessary even when records are unsealed.
The Adoption Information Disclosure Act was ruled unconstitutional by an Ontario Superior Court judge and set aside in September 2007, two days after its provisions took effect. The Ontario government has announced that it will not appeal that
decision.
As of November 2007, neither the new procedures that were to allow adoptees access to their long form birth certificates on the same basis as all other persons, nor the previous location services under the ADR are available.
Although long form birth certificates are now required as primary documents for other government-issued identification and for immigration and visa purposes and for driver's licenses in other jurisdictions, they are completely unobtainable to Ontario-born adoptees.