Hi, I'm from Canada and I was just wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction. I have custody of my niece and nephew. I have had them now for 5 yrs in Aug. They are 4 and 6 and I want to adopt them can anyone tell me what steps I should take in order to adopt them?

I'm sorry that this went unanswered so long.

You will need to talk to a lawyer. Unfortunately, I'm not sure what the steps are in Canada. It may be as simple as having birth parents sign away parental rights and you signing adoption papers, and it may be much much more complicated.

Speak to a family lawyer; they should at least be able to get you started in the right direction.

I agree with Synnen. I am an American adoptive parent and can tell you the basic requirements in most states here are that you complete what is called a home study, and then go before a judge to finalize. A home study is a comprehensive evaluation of your fitness as a parent - a few appointments with an adoption counselor, a visit to your home (not a white glove test - but they want to see where the children will reside and how fit it is for children), a financial background check (to ensure you can afford the responsibility) and things of that nature.

The other piece required here is that children have to first be available for adoption before you can proceed with the legal process (home study can be done but that just makes you eligible for adopting a child, not a particular child). If the parent(s) are still living, they will have to sign over their parental rights, or you will have to begin court action to have those rights terminated. Be mindful that this can sometimes bring people out of the woodwork who may want to fight you for custody - paternal grandparents, friends, cousin of the mother - whatever. If the birth parents either indicated in a will that they want you to have custody, or sign custody over specifically to you, it will make your life a whole lot easier.

God Bless for your desire to care for these children. People always tell me my son is "lucky" I adopted him but I know better than to tell you that. You will certainly be the lucky one!