Okay, I'll talk quickly.
Adopted children and their families need access to services. Children who are yet to be adopted need these services available to increase their chances of adoption.
Given that so many kids who are in care have very special needs, which other witnesses have referred to, there are three areas around those support systems.
Families need funds to pay for services. Although subsidized adoption programs can help, concerns and challenges often emerge post-adoption. We need federal funds to allow for those subsidized adoption programs to be more flexible and responsive.
We need specialized services. Similar to what other witnesses have referred to, often the services are not available in their communities, in their provinces, or even in their countries. So we need to make sure that there are services available for families who have kids who have been in care. Fetal alcohol syndrome is not uncommon; attachment issues are typical. Identify the key special concerns that many of those children have.
We need adoption-competent professionals. Professionals working with children and their families need to understand the unique needs of children who have been adopted. Federal funds to provide adoption competency training is needed.
Third is a bill of rights for children in care. The system is no place to grow up. Despite this, thousands of children across Canada are growing up without a parent advocating for them. Although the best interests of the child theoretically guides the workings of the systems that affect children, we know from experience that too often systems move too slowly.
A published editorial last year in the Canadian Medical Association Journal states:
Children who have a government as their parent, no matter how well intentioned or necessary that arrangement is, are often damaged by it.
Children in care need special protection. We would like to propose the development of a bill of rights for children in care. We are recommending that this be led by the federal government. For example, we envision rights that state the right to a permanent family, that children are safe in care, and that the processes work quickly.
Four, we also are asking for federal leadership on interprovincial adoption.