YUKON TERRITORY

January, 27 1997: Pursuant to Section 96 of the CHILDREN'S ACT, and Order in Council signed on this date amended the regulations governing adoption disclosure within the Yukon.

Under the new amendment to the regulations, identifying information can now be provided to adult adoptees without consent of their birth parents, if the birth parents can not be located.  A reasonable search must be undertaken in an effort to locate those individuals.

Where a birth parent has made it known to the Department that they do not want their identity disclosed, this request will be honoured and no identifying information will be shared.

Those birth parents who have given up a child for adoption in the Yukon and adult adoptees adopted in the Yukon are asked to contact Family & Children's Services in Whitehorse, Yukon to make their wishes known about disclosing information.

GOVERNMENT SERVICES:

IDENTIFYING INFORMATION:   May be subject to a No Disclosure Request if Birth Parents can be located, but identifying information can now be provided to adult adoptees without consent of their birth parents if the birth parents can not be located. Previously the Children's Act authorized the Director of Family Services to disclose information identifying the birth parents only if the birth parents gave consent or were deceased. It also permitted disclosure where it was necessary for health reasons or for determining inheritance.

NON-IDENTIFYING INFORMATION:  Depending on the number of requests a response can take between three months and one year.

FEES:  No fee for non-identifying information. No fee for a passive registry (disclosure/reunion).

PASSIVE REGISTRY:  Provides for registration for identifying information or reunion if you are an adoptee, birth parent or other family member. A birth sibling, or birth kindred's contact with an adoptee cannot occur unless the birth parent consents or birth parents are deceased. When a match occurs (of course there must be a corresponding applicant) both applicants are contacted and there can be a sharing of identifying information or contact.

ACTIVE SEARCH:  We suggest you contact Yukon Health and Social Services to obtain their present policy.

COUNSELLING:  Counselling is either provided or a referral is made to a counselling agency in the community, whichever is most appropriate.

STAFFING:  One half-time person covers all matters pertaining to adoption disclosure and reunion.

APPLICATION FOR SERVICE:  Number of applications on the passive registry not reported.

ACCESS/OPENNESS:  Access to adoption records is not being discussed at present.

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Page last updated: May 09, 2004