TORONTO - Ontario is taking steps to make it easier for kids in care of Children's Aid Societies to find a permanent family while also providing more support to adoptive parents.
The province plans to hire 19 "adoption recruiters," in partnership with a program called Wendy's Wonderful Kids run by the Dave Thomas Foundation, to help children find a "forever" home.
Children's Aid Societies will be required to expand their use of the AdoptOntario website to match more of the 6,400 Crown wards with waiting families.
The government will also expand a subsidies program by extending the age of eligibility to eight-to-21-year-olds from 10-to-18-year-olds and invest in a post-adoption family support program.
For youth who are still in care, the government will extend funding to their caregivers to the age of 21 instead of 18 to provide a stable home if they need more time to complete high school.
There is no cost to adoptive parents to go through Ontario's public adoption process with a Children's Aid Society.
