Ontario's Minister of Children and Youth Services says she's doing all she can to help families whose adoptions are in limbo after the Imagine Adoption agency declared bankruptcy.

Deb Matthews met with representatives from the prospective adoptive families on Tuesday afternoon to tell them that the province is doing all it can to help them in their quest to be united with their children.

Matthews told Canada AM Wednesday that her ministry licensed Kids Link International Adoption Agency -- which operated as Imagine Adoption -- and now wants to do what it can to help families who have paid thousands of dollars to adopt children from Ethiopia, Ecuador, Zambia and Ghana. But she noted that there are lots of players involved.

"It's complicated. There's a bankruptcy process taking place, there's a police investigation," she said.

"Not only is our ministry involved here in Ontario but three or four departments of the federal government are involved too, as well as the governments in the countries from which the kids are being adopted.

"It's very complicated but we're really working hard to keep everybody talking to each other."

Matthews says she went to the meeting with the families to let them know exactly what steps her ministry is taking, what her staff can do now and what they have to wait for as the bankruptcy proceedings move through the courts.

She added that she still hopes that Imagine can get up and running again to at least complete the adoptions that were started.

"Our greatest hope is that there'll be a reconstitution of the agency through the bankruptcy process. That's not in our hands. But that's our greatest hope," Matthews said.

During the meeting, Matthews indicated the province would act quickly to consider any licensing requests should a reconstituted agency emerge from bankruptcy.

She also said she would ensure home studies (evaluations of potential adoptive parents by agencies) conducted by Imagine Adoption/Kids Link will be transferable to other adoption agencies.

As well, she told the families the provincial government would consider ways in which the international adoption system could be strengthened.

Some of the adoptions that had begun have now been completed or are nearing completion, and she is in contact with federal Immigration Minister Jason Kenney to get visas for those children as quickly as possible, she said.

"Our priority is for the kids who have already been adopted, to get them their paperwork. I'm happy to tell you we now have 12, I believe, kids who have had their paperwork, nine of them are on their way home. So that's good news.

"There is another group of kids who are very close to that, who have been matched," she said, noting that group is the next priority.

Following Tuesday's meeting, representatives from the Imagine Adoption families issued a statement to say they felt the meeting with Matthews went well.

"We were encouraged to hear that the minister will 'bend over backwards' to help our families to complete our adoption process," said a statment posted on the "Families of Imagine Adoption" blog.

They added that they want to see a "determined and concerted effort... directed towards finding a solution that will ensure that all families who signed a retainer agreement with Imagine are able to complete their adoptions."