The first step to exploring options through adoption is a two-hour consultation session with Luke Bonneville, to explore options for private domestic and private international adoption. Luke works part-time as an adoption practitioner and part-time as a therapist. He has a special interest in working with LGBTQIA+ families.

Please visit the Ministry’s website if you are interested in international adoption for more information about which Licensees and countries are currently operating.

You can book a consultation session with Luke at the link below. Please note if the link is Disabled, this means we are currently running a waitlist for these meetings due to demand. You can email us using the "Get in Touch" link in the above menu to add yourself to our waitlist.

https://tidycal.com/adoption/2hourconsult20240720000050

*Please note I am not a certified PRIDE trainer, and this is being provided for informational purposes for prospective adoptive parents.

PRIDE Training (Parent Resources for Information, Development and Education) is a required step in completing a homestudy assessment. I do not work with applicants who have not yet completed their PRIDE training. It is important that you work with a practitioner who can provide a comprehensive adoption education session - please contact me for suggestions before purchasing a PRIDE training program. It is important to choose a synchronous PRIDE course with a live instructor present, and preferably with a panel discussion exploring the realities of adoption.

You can find a list of PRIDE offerings below:

https://secure.adoptontario.ca/pride-main

The Structured Analysis Family Evaluation (SAFE) homestudy is a comprehensive assessment to determine your eligibility, suitability, and readiness to become an adoptive parent. The SAFE homestudy process includes a number of interviews including a home visit and safety inspection. The interviews focus on family backgrounds, motivation for fostering or adopting, home relationships, finances, and experience with children. Having a SAFE assessment completed does not guarantee an adoption match will occur.

SAFE is Ontario’s standardized homestudy format for all foster, kinship in care, and adoptive applicants. All applicants, including all family members living in the home, are required to participate in the home study, which consists of a series of interviews between Luke Bonneville and members of the prospective foster/adoptive family, usually held in the applicant’s home.

The SAFE assessment is a Ministry-required standardized home-study used by all Ontario adoption practitioners. The report is intended to explore your reasons for adopting, and the assessor assists in determining your readiness and suitability to adopt.

The homestudy is a comprehensive report that explores, in part, your childhood, relationships, and lifestyle, and may touch on issues that are sensitive or personal. The assessment is comprised of an initial 2 hour consultation to review the adoption options in Ontario, and what each process entails. There are a minimum of 4 subsequent interviews of approximately 2 hours each, and there is a home safety check. At least one interview must be done within your home. Children in the home will also be interviewed, and adult children will be contacted for input. The home-study is supported by documentation such as financial and medical reports, references, pet vaccinations, police and child welfare checks.

Timelines vary for completing a S.A.F.E. assessment. Please contact me for a consultation to discuss further. During the homestudy, we will review topics covered in PRIDE such as discipline, openness, grief and loss, and ensures you have a good understanding of the issues and complexities of adoption.

Following the finalization of a SAFE homestudy, you are welcome to contact private agencies and individual Licensees to be placed on their active waiting list for domestic adoption. I work actively with agencies and individual Licensees to maximize your chances of being matched for adoption.

If you are interested in international adoption, it is worthwhile to reach out to Licensees before beginning a homestudy to make an informed decision, and to discuss costs and procedures.

A list of both domestic and international adoption Licensees is available here: https://www.ontario.ca/page/licensed-agencies-and-individuals-private-adoptions