The Government of Saskatchewan has proclaimed November as Adoption Awareness Month to acknowledge and celebrate Saskatchewan’s adoptive families.
The month also serves as a reminder to all adult adoptees and birth parents that access to birth registration information is changing January 1 as new regulations will be coming into effect.
“We wanted to support Saskatchewan’s adult adoptees and birth parents in learning more about their own history, and potentially strengthening their connections to their culture and birth family, if this is something they wish to do,” said Tina Beaudry-Mellor, Minister of Social Services.
“Adoptees, their adoptive families and their birth families have been asking for this, and that’s why we have taken steps to improve access to birth registration information for those individuals.”
Birth registrations contain information such as the name of listed birth parents, the name of the child at birth and the location of the birth, along with name of the hospital. The regulatory changes replace the requirement to obtain consent with the option for birth parents and adult adoptees to file a veto or a contact preference. With almost 37,000 adoptions having occurred in Saskatchewan since 1922, this change may impact many individuals.
The Adoption Support Centre of Saskatchewan has organized a variety of exciting events across the province to celebrate Adoption Awareness Month. The organization began in the 1980s as a group of adoptive parents providing support to one another. It has since grown into a province-wide confidential information service that provides referrals, resources and pre- and post-adoption support relating to domestic, international, private, step-parent and adult adoptions.
For more information on Adoption Awareness Month activities, or to access services or support, please visit the Adoption Support Centre of Saskatchewan’s website. In advance of January 1, 2017, all adult adoptees and birth parents are also encouraged to visit www.saskatchewan.ca/adoptionrecords to learn more about the regulatory changes that improve access to birth registration information. They can access forms to apply for birth registration information or file a contact preference or veto.
