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OAKVILLE, ON, Nov. 4 - Although more than 80 per cent of Canadians are aware that many children are waiting to be adopted and 43 per cent say they would consider adopting a child, less than one per cent of Canadian families actually adopt.
These findings - results of an Ipsos poll - help explain why 30,000 legally-free Canadian children in foster care are still waiting for a permanent family. The poll, commissioned by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Canada, was conducted to raise understanding and awareness of adoption in Canada. November is National Adoption Awareness Month in Canada.
"The Foundation's mission is to dramatically increase the number of adoptions of waiting children from North America's foster care systems," says Rita Soronen, executive director of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. The Foundation conducts education and awareness activities through Wendy's restaurants and funds dedicated professional adoption recruitment workers in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Nova Scotia through its signature program, Wendy's Wonderful Kids.
"We're are extremely pleased with the success of the program but even with all of the strides made, there are still thousands of children in foster care waiting to be adopted," Soronen says, adding that the poll helps shed light on why there are so few adoptions.
Among other things, Canadians believe barriers to adoption include a lengthy (65 per cent) and costly (67 per cent) process.
"Becoming a mother is the best thing that's ever happened to me," says Nia Vardalos, actress, writer and 2010 National Adoption Day spokesperson. "We were matched with our daughter through U.S. foster care adoption and it's been a wonderful experience. At three years old, she walked into our house and turned it into a home. I'm hoping to spread the word to potential parents-to-be about the 30,000 children in the Canadian foster care system who are waiting for loving, permanent homes."
To learn more about foster care adoption and how you can get involved, visit www.davethomasfoundation.ca.
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Canada
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Canada is a non-profit public charity dedicated to dramatically increasing the adoptions of the more than 30,000 children in Canada's foster care who are awaiting adoption. Created by Wendy's founder Dave Thomas, who was adopted as a child, the Foundation leads programs such as Wendy's Wonderful Kids, which funds seven adoption recruiters in Canada to find permanent, loving families for children in the foster care system.
As the only Foundation dedicated exclusively to foster care adoption, it is driven by its founder's simple value: Do what's best for the child. To learn more about the Foundation's work, please visit www.davethomasfoundation.ca.
About the survey
These are the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between September 23 and September 27, 2010. For this survey, a sample of 1,036 adults aged 18-49 were interviewed across Canada. All individuals participated via the Ipsos online panel. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to the most recent country Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. Significant differences in the sample are indicated only at a level of 95% confidence.
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