In a move to support families looking to adopt, the Alberta government has announced adoption subsidy applications, providing financial assistance to families who have adopted a child through a licenced agency in the province. The one-time subsidy amounts to $6,000, aiming to alleviate the financial burden associated with the adoption process.Spearheaded by Searle Turton, Minister of Children and Family Services, the subsidy is a proactive step to ensure that building forever-families doesn't become an overwhelming financial challenge. The financial support is expected to reduce adoption costs by up to 50%, fostering a more accessible path to adoption for Albertans.Turton, himself an adoptive parent, empathized with the challenges and expenses associated with adoption. He said the subsidy has the potential to make adoption more affordable and in turn, facilitating more children finding their forever-families.While the Alberta government covers the costs related to adopting a child in government care, adopting through an agency incurs fees ranging from $11,000 to $15,000. The subsidy is designed for families with a household income of less than $180,000 per year, who completed a licenced private agency adoption in Alberta on or after April 1 2023.The Alberta government has committed to investing $4 million annually over the next three years, as outlined in Budget 2023, to enhance tax breaks and subsidies. These measures are aimed at covering the costs of licenced agency adoptions and increasing supplementary health benefit coverage for children adopted in Alberta through government and licenced adoption agencies.As part of ongoing efforts to promote adoption, Children and Family Services launched an adoption recruitment campaign in spring 2023, with a particular focus on finding permanent homes for the 20 children and youth currently waiting to be matched with loving families.Despite typically having about 100 approved families at any given time, there are currently only around 34, indicating the need for increased support and initiatives to encourage adoption in the province.
