SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
In Dawn Pottinger's household, foster children have grown up and become a part of her own family for the past 20 years.

Tammy Roberts, executive director of the NWT Foster Family Coalition, left, and Nicole Garbutt, administrative assistant, set up information booths at the Yellowknife Airport every Friday throughout November, recognizing Adoption Awareness Month. - Elaine Anselmi/NNSL photo

"It's hard to tell them apart because we have a multi-nation family anyway," said Pottinger, also the board president for the Foster Family Coalition of the Northwest Territories.

November is recognized across Canada as Adoption Awareness Month, which comes on the heels of Foster Family Appreciation Week in the NWT, which took place in October.

As she grew up and moved away from home, Pottinger said her mother began fostering children.

"My mother always used to say, we've never not had enough room for children," said Pottinger.

Throughout the month, the coalition aims to recruit and provide information to the public both through a social media campaign, and through setting up booths in public spaces like the Yellowknife Airport.

With the decision to adopt or become a foster parent requiring a lengthy consideration period, the booths allow the public to ask any questions, while offering application packages.

"The idea is to capture some people who are maybe thinking about (adoption) but haven't taken that extra step or maybe they're not sure what the extra step may be or maybe they're just interested in fostering and then moving into adoption," said Pottinger. "There are so many different scenarios out there of people who are willing to look after children or want children in their family."

The notion that every child deserves a family is at the heart of the month, explains Andy Langford, director of territorial social programs with the Department of Health and Social Services.

"Every child deserves to have a permanent family and that is really the thing that Adoption Awareness Month is intended to do," said Langford.

"It's ... so that people are aware that these programs exist and give children not only an opportunity to have a family but also allow couples who are childless to grow a family themselves."

Across the territory, Langford said there are approximately 60 adoptions each year, based on a 10-year average.

"Of those, 75 per cent are custom adoptions," said Langford.

"Custom adoptions are adoptions that are done under the Aboriginal Custom Adoption Recognition Act and the department has a very, very limited role in custom adoptions."

There are three types of adoptions: private, in which the adoption is arranged between the birth parents and potential adoptive parents; step-parent adoptions; and departmental adoptions, for children who are in permanent care and custody of Children and Family Services.

"There are roughly 140 children and youth right now in permanent care and custody," said Langford.

"Of those, about 20 per cent would be on the current and active adoption list ... others are in foster care with different sorts of permanency plans."

In her own home, Pottinger has had foster children stay with the family for years, growing up alongside her grandchildren and now starting their own families.

"One group, they came to me as a family, a family of four. They grew up in my home and grew up with my grandchildren because they were about the same age," said Pottinger. "It wasn't really a planned thing with the family. They came as an emergency and it fit, so they stayed. The little one was three, now she's going to be 21."

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