Today is a HUGE day for Adopt4Life and The Child and Youth Permanency Council of Canada! We're beyond excited to share some incredible news. In the Fall Economic Statement released by the Canadian government, #TimeToAttach has been included in the budget and they are committed to making changes to Employment Insurance benefits for adoptive parents!

This will introduce a brand new 15-week "adoption benefit" for Canadian families which is something we, along with our partners from coast to coast, have been tirelessly advocating for over the past six years!

A huge shout-out goes to every single one of you who have helped advocate along the way. We're incredibly grateful for your support and commitment to making a difference.

The Conservatives are promising new measures to help parents who adopt.

If elected, the Conservatives would introduce 15 weeks of Employment Insurance adoption leave benefits for those who adopt a child under the age of 18. The party says it also would increase the adoption expense tax credit to $20,000…

The Liberals are promising a suite of family-friendly benefits, including a boost to the Canada Child Benefit for babies and a 15-week leave program for adoptive parents.

Dr. Carolyn McLeod on London Live 980 CFPL to talk about our #TimeToAttach report and advocacy. Take a listen!

A new report is calling on the federal government to extend benefits for adoptive parents. Employment insurance [EI] benefits should, at the very least, equal those for maternity leave, the study's author argues.

From Western University. The child welfare system in Canada is in “a state of crisis,” according to a new report from Western University. There are too many children and youth flowing into the system, especially from marginalized social groups including First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples, and African Canadians. There are also not enough children or youth leaving the system to join permanent, safe, and loving homes.

From the London Free Press

Canada’s parental benefits system isn’t meeting the needs of adoptive parents and doesn’t give children enough time to settle in, a new Western University report says.

As a part of our Time to Attach campaign, we are returning to Ottawa this month to meet with members of parliament of all parties to advocate for 15 more weeks of parental leave—attachment leave—for adoptive parents and kinship and customary caregivers. Find our posts hashtagged #TimeToAttach. If you'd like to learn more about our campaign, check out this excellent story running in Maclean's magazine this week. Thank you for supporting the #TimeToAttach campaign. Wish us luck!

[Available in French]. Adopt4Life—Ontario’s Adoptive Parent Association, and Western University, in partnership with the Adoption Council of Canada, are spearheading a national campaign for 15 weeks paid attachment leave for adoptive parents and kinship and customary caregivers. They are taking their case to Ottawa again in April 2019 to build on the momentum of their November, 2018 meetings on Parliament Hill. The #TimetoAttach team will present compelling arguments from research conducted at Western about the need for paid attachment leave.

A team of Western University researchers in partnership with Adopt4Life—Ontario’s Adoptive Parents Association is advocating for a new class of employment insurance benefits for adoptive parents, and customary and kin caregivers…

On London Morning with Julianne Hazelwood

Chair of the Ontario's Adoptive Parents Association board and Western University professor and researcher, Carolyn McLeod tells London Morning why adoptive parents could use an additional 15 weeks of parental leave.

From the London Free Press.

Canada’s parental benefits system isn’t meeting the needs of adoptive parents and doesn’t give children enough time to settle in, a new Western University report says.

November 30th, 2018—a statement by Karen Vecchio, MP for Elgin-Middlesex-London, where she supports and summarizes Adopt4Life, ACO, and Western’s faculty members’ efforts to spread Awareness to Parliament.

Last week, Western researchers and their community partners went on a whirlwind trip to Ottawa to meet with several MPs and policy advisors. They had one objective: to advocate for a new class of employment insurance benefits for adoptive parents, customary caregivers, and kin caregivers.

The research team and its main partner, Adopt4Life: Ontario’s Adoptive Parents Association, have been building an argument to offer adoptive parents an additional 15-week leave.

A team of Western University researchers in partnership with Adopt4Life: Ontario’s Adoptive Parents Association is advocating for a new class of employment insurance benefits for adoptive parents, and customary and kin caregivers…