WATCH: B.C.’s youth advocate, Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, says the province should consider the adoption model Alberta is using by posting the profile of some children waiting for adoption on a special website.
An Alberta government website that lets people look at pictures of potential children they can adopt might be coming to B.C. in the near future.
“I don’t have any concerns. I think it’s completely suitable for B.C.,” says Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, the province’s independent advocate for youth. “I’ve been advocating for some time that we have to go in that direction.”
The B.C. Children and Families Ministry told Global News in a statement that they’re looking at Alberta’s online system, where people can look at photos of available children, search for them by age, and read a small description and sometimes watch a video of them.
However, they also said, “In the ever-changing, ever-advancing world of technology there are new and more challenging things to deal with in order to protect children’s privacy as well.”
Alberta’s website (which you can see here) has been online since 2003 and shows only a small portion of children available for adoption. According to Catherine Arnold, an Alberta Human Services Adoption Analyst, the ones listed go through a screening process and are considered harder to place.
“They’re older children, children with more profound needs, sibling groups who are a little bit larger. The website provides them an additional opportunity to be considered,” she says.
Arnold says it’s unique in Canada, but has proved immensely successful, especially the video aspect.
“They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but video really gives further content to the children…it enhances the number of inquiries. It’s been very successful.”
Turpel-Lafond said that while there are privacy concerns, it’s important for the government to have an adoption strategy that fits with the digital age – especially considering what many children up for adoption are already doing.
“They’re going on Facebook asking to be adopted,” she says. “They’re more savvy. These kids are going to get themselves connected to people that might be dangerous to them using social media. Let’s show them a way forward. Let’s not let them advertise themselves.”
“I’m confident at least 200 of those kids, there could be appropriate consent and photo listing, and British Columbians would respond to that. The government has to do something different, because for 10 years we haven’t seen the numbers go up.”
READ MORE: B.C. adoption rates were called “abysmal” by Turpel-Lafond last June
The B.C. government has worked on increasing adoptions over the past year. It gives Turpel-Lafond hope that more changes, including a digital model similar to Alberta’s, may be on the way.
“The government is opening its mind. We’ve been working together. I’m a very serious critic of the government when they deserve to be criticized, but on adoptions they’re moving,” she says.
READ MORE: Adoption numbers in B.C. have improved in recent months
Arnold says Alberta’s government would be happy to give their thoughts on any movement B.C. makes.
“These children are the most vulnerable, they’re the children for whom every effort should be undertaken, no rock should be left unturned,” she says.
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