Alberta's controversial adoption Web site was cleared Monday by the province's privacy commissioner, who had earlier expressed concerns about the venture.
Frank Work found that the site - which features photographs and short descriptions of foster children - does not violate the provincial privacy act, now that some details of the children's backgrounds have been removed.
The Ministry of Children's Services launched the site earlier this month to try to find permanent homes for the large number of children who are in foster care, but critics said it violated the youngsters' privacy and risked attracting pedophiles.
"We're pleased," Children's Services Minister Iris Evans said. "What I'm hoping for is to be able to get on with the placement of more children onto the Web site for the opportunity to find them nurturing homes."
But Ms. Evans sparked a new controversy Monday when she said in response to an opposition question in the legislature: "Would we leave these children languishing in the closets and in the hidden homes of foster parents who never release them to provide them an opportunity for loving homes?"
Later, she said she was trying to argue the merits of using aggressive tactics in the goal of placing foster children.
"Would the opposition want us to hide these children in foster homes without giving them an opportunity to use more advanced communication for the opportunity to find a loving permanent home?" she said.
Soon after the site was launched, three siblings in foster care learned they had been put up for adoption from classmates at school, sparking a complaint from their foster family.
The Web site initially included detailed information on their medical, physical and behavioral conditions as well as previous traumatic experiences.
Mr. Work began an investigation to determine whether Children's Services had authority to disclose personal information on the site.
The ministry initially defended including the detailed personal information to ensure prospective families had an early, realistic understanding of a child's needs.
"That disclosure was more than what was necessary to enable the Public Body to carry out its purpose of finding homes for children who are available for adoption," the privacy commissioner's report says.
After Mr. Work called for the site to be temporarily shut down because of privacy and other concerns, Children's Services changed the text to provide more general information on what skills or attributes prospective adoptive parents require.
As well, the social worker who should have informed the siblings they were being put up for adoption was disciplined last week and policies were changed to ensure proper notification of children.
The Web site is similar to those operated in the majority of American states. Such vehicles increased the number of adoptions by more than 30 per cent, Children's Services says.
Last year, the ministry said only 216 of more than 4,700 foster children were adopted.
Ms. Evans says the popular site has led to 13 prospective adoptions.
Jill Mahoney