ACO’s Spring Provincial ARE 2023 (Professional Day – June 2)

The Adoption Council of Ontario (ACO) is thrilled to invite you to this year’s Spring Provincial ARE 2023! This year’s ARE will take place over two days, Friday, June 2 (Professional Day) and Saturday, June 3 (Day for Families). Both event days will run from 9AM – 4PM (registration for in-person opens at 8AM), and will be accessible both virtually and in person.

What to Expect at the ACO’s Spring Provincial ARE 2023 and Our Professional Day

With a return to in-person events, we will be hosting this year’s Spring ARE at the Delta Hotels Toronto Airport & Conference Centre (655 Dixon Road, Toronto). Our Professional Day will consist of:

• The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services providing updates and taking a few questions
• Networking with other adoption professionals
• Participating in discussions and expressing your thoughts and opinions
• Education and training sessions, including presentations on the Centralized Adoption Intake program, and AdoptOntario’s Consent Tool
  
• A featured panel exploring openness, which includes a representative from the Office of the Children’s Lawyer
  

This event is free to attend but please do keep in mind that there is a parking cost of $20 a day. If you are planning to stay at the hotel, you can visit this page for pricing. Continental breakfast and coffee and tea will be provided on the Professional Day.

Our day for families will give prospective adoptive families an opportunity to speak with CAS workers both in person and virtually. We will also be hosting educational presentations and resources by adoption professionals and those with lived experience, allowing attendees to better understand the different voices and perspectives in adoption and permanency. Our partners at Adopt4Life will also be participating on the ‘virtual venue’ to show prospective parents the ways they can find support on their journey.

If you are unable to attend any of the in-person portions of the ARE, not to worry! You will be able to access the ARE (including the Professional Day) through our virtual venue, where we will be live-streaming presentations and giving you the chance to speak with other adoption professionals in our breakout rooms.

Registration and Further Details

The AdoptOntario Online Platform, which includes profiles of the children and youth, will be available to AdoptReady applicants from May 30th to June 27th, 2023.

A detailed agenda for the Spring ARE will be released closer to the event. In order to attend, please ensure you have an AdoptOntario Professional account and then register for the ARE below. Following registration, we will confirm with you how you will be attending the event (in person or virtually). Registration closes May 30th, 2023.

*The provider of the virtual venue, Midland57 Media, will have access to registrant’s email addresses solely for event login purposes.

If you have any questions regarding the ACO’s Spring Provincial ARE 2023, please contact [email protected]. We are here to support you throughout this event and answer any questions you may have.