Alberta rules changing to allow adoption profiles online

Alberta is catching up with other provinces as it hashes out changes to adoption laws that will allow families to post their profiles online.

Adoption agencies welcome the shift, but want comprehensive rules to protect families and children.

The change comes thanks to a recent private member’s bill approved unanimously in the legislature. Bill 206 was first tabled in May by Leela Aheer, Opposition MLA for Chestermere-Rocky View.

Adoption by Choice executive director Ramone Kindrat said the change is a long time in coming.

It is illegal in Alberta to post adoption profiles online. Instead, family profiles are included in binders or electronic files given to birth mothers who choose to give their baby up for adoption.

Kindrat said online connections mean more exposure for those looking for a member of their family.

It’s a positive step, she said, as long as safeguards are in place for the prospective adoptive and birth families, both of whom could be vulnerable.

“There have to be those regulations in place to protect kids,” she said.

“Also, for families, you don’t want someone to pose as a prospective birth mother when they’re not.”

For Kindrat, that means making sure both parties are registered with formal adoption agencies that provide checks and balances.

The Children’s Services Ministry doesn’t have a firm timeline as to when changes will come into effect. It’s consulting with stakeholders in the adoption community to develop regulations.