Summary

Make a Smart 
Investment and help 
support these areas 
of Compassionate 
Adoption:

Baby Supplies 

Prenatal Prevention

Nanny Support

• Compassionate Adotion is a Canada-based initiative that provides a private adoption alternative for new born children that are apprehended by government child welfare agencies.
• The initiative is utlitlized by biological parents that are unable to parent as well as resourceful families that are commited to the adoption of children that are born with exporsure to drugs, alcohol and other substances in utero.
• Compasionate Adoption operates with in cooperation with provincial child protection agencies.

Mission

The Compassionate Adoption initiative exists to coordinate the private placement of at-risk infants into loving and resourceful families and to provide ongoing support for at-risk biological parents.

Vision

The vision of the initiative is to strengthen and expand existing operations until the private adoption of at risk children is a known and viable adoption alternative in Canada.

Values

Participants of the Compassionate Adoption initiative value the following:

• the need for relationally-based prevention that protects unborn children from harmful substances in utero
• the instrinsic worth of all pregnant women despite their substance abuse practices
• the priority of safety, nurture and stability for all at risk children
• the need to create non judgemental and non competative environments for at risk children
• the awareness that it takes a village to raise a child

Methods

Methods useful to at risk pregnant women, potential adoption families and innovative child welfare agencies to facilitate compassionate adoption include:

• a consistant presence in marginalized communities that creates relational connections with at risk pregnant women
• a strong relationship with governmental organizations mandated to care for at risk children
• a knowledge of hospital protocol and an awareness that hospital social workers play a pivitol role in the child apprehension process
• a knowledge of provincial court procedures and an awareness that custody and guardianship of at risk children can be facilitated by the court systems when supported by biological parents and governmental child welfare agencies
• the importance of long term housing, relational and advovcacy support for biological parents that have had a child apprehended by governmental child welfare agencies

History of Compassionate Adoption Activities

Since 1995 Community Builders has provided housing and advocacy supports for more than 20 infants and their biological parents. In addition, the society has directly coordinated legal and child welfare services that have, or will, result in the private adoption of eight children that otherwise would have been placed into a government funded foster system.

The society's capcity to assist children and parents with compassionate adoption services increased in 2006 after Community Builders tenant support workers in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside realized they were unable to find suitable placements for pregnant women that were at-risk to homelessness and an inability to access basic medical care.

A break through in the ability of private families to adopt at risk children occured when Community Builders staff were asked by pregnant mothers to adopt three unborn children as a desired alternative to apprehension by the British Columbia Ministry of Children of Family Development (MCFD). As a result, three differnet Provincial Court Judges granted private custody and guardianship of three at-risk infants with the full support of MCFD social workers. The implication of this precedent strengthens a private alternative to foster systems funded by the public purse.

Programs and Locations

A nine suite apartment in East Vancovuer provides housing for two adoptive parents, two live-in nannies and five children.

A ten bedroom lodge in Hope, BC has been recently constructed that can house six children, two nannies and a mother in need of support to care for her biological child.