Adoptions

In New Brunswick, there are three types of adoptions:

• Ministerial (Minister of Social Development is involved in the matter);
• Private (Birth parents consent to place the child with a certain family / a child may be adopted by a biological parent’s spouse); and
• International.

In ministerial adoptions, the Minister of Social Development is involved as the child adopted has been placed in the Minister’s care. For various reasons, the child’s birth parents were unable to provide sufficient care to the child in question which caused the Minister’s intervention with the family.

In private adoptions, the child is often placed with a family known to the birth parents. There are no licensed agencies for private adoptions in New Brunswick, but private adoptions do take place in our province. It is very important to obtain legal advice when looking to adopt a child to ensure all legal requirements have been fulfilled. In private matters, the consent of biological parents may not be necessary for the court to grant the adoption if certain criteria are fulfilled. Spousal adoptions are also considered private adoptions.

For all forms of adoptions, legal documents will need to be presented to the court as the court’s involvement is essential to finalize the adoption process. Our team at Actus Law Droit will guide you through this process efficiently and ensure all legal requirements are fulfilled.