Building Families, Building Futures

What is Adoption?

Adoption is a lifetime commitment to a child.

All children need to be a part of a family.  The feeling of belonging helps to determine how they see themselves in relation to others and to their community.  Adoption is a way to provide children and youth with a safe, secure home and family of their own. 

The Windsor-Essex Children’s Aid Society is committed to finding permanent and nurturing families for every child waiting to be adopted.  Children placed for adoption may be infants, toddlers, school-aged children or teenagers. Their cultural backgrounds reflect the diversity of our community. 

The Adoption Process

The following is some general information about the process of adopting through the Windsor-Essex Children’s Aid Society.  There are many steps in this process and while some move very quickly, other steps require more time and careful consideration.  There is no set time for the adoption process. 

Getting Started:

If you are interested in learning more about adoption, please call the Society 519-252-1171 to speak with a representative from the adoption department.  PLEASE DO NOT attempt to contact us via email as your message may be blocked by our Firewall.  After you call, a more complete information package will then be mailed to you.

Once you have reviewed all the information, should you wish to proceed, the next step is to schedule an appointment with an adoption worker.  Your adoption worker will give you documentation to complete as part of our application process.

All completed documentation will need to be returned to the Windsor-Essex Children's Aid Society.  Once received, you will be placed on a training list.  (This training is mandatory and is offered several times a year.)

During training your adoption home study will commence.  This will involve a series of interviews with your adoption worker. 

If approved, you are then in a position to wait for a child(ren) to be placed in your home & family.

When matching children to families we consider the needs of each child and how an adoptive family can address those needs.

Once a child has been placed in an adoptive home, it is a critical period of adjustment for both the child and the family.  During this time, adoption workers will ensure to monitor the placement and offer support & guidance.