Adoption

If you are looking to add to your family, adoption is a wonderful choice! There are several different types of adoption – foster care, stepparent, relative, infant, and others. Each type of adoption has its own unique rules, but in general, you must meet these requirements to adopt: (1) complete a home study from a licensed child placing agency, (2) pass a background check, and (3) have the consent of required parties or be able to prove that consent is not required.

The issue of consent is usually one of the trickiest parts of the adoption process. By law, any living parents must consent to the adoption. This becomes complicated if the child’s father is unknown, or if a parent refuses to give consent. In certain circumstances, the Court can find that consent isn’t required because the person has done (or failed to do) something that forfeits their right to challenge the adoption. For example, consent is not required from a parent who has abandoned the child for six months, or unjustifiably failed to communicate and support the child for a year.