WHAT ARE ALL THE STEPS TO ADOPTING A CHILD?

1. Hire a good lawyer.I encourage you to read our articles on this website about how to interview and hire a lawyer you can trust.

2. Get physical custody of the child for six months.Sometimes, you only need to show that the child has been living with you for six months already. Sometimes, you have to go to court and get physical custody, often by showing that the child is either neglected or abused by his parents. It depends on the facts of the case, but unless you are related to the child, this is always the first step.

3. Get a home study.If you are related to the child, the Court may waive this requirement, but most prospective adoptive families must pay for a study from an independent agency that will be presented to the Court, basically reassuring the Court that there’s no reason the family can’t raise the child.

4. End the parental rights of the biological and legal parents.Before any child can be adopted, even by a relative, the rights of the existing parents must be legally terminated. If the parents agree, then this process is called a “surrender” and can be done with relatively little expense and time. A birth parent may not want to voluntarily give up her child. If so, then you’ll have to go through a process that lawyers call a “termination” suit. In that process, you have to explain to the judge why the parent’s rights should be terminated over their objection or in their absence.

5. File the Petition for Adoption and go to the Final Hearing This is the last, and easiest part - where you go to the Court and show that everything is in place, and state simply that you want to bring this child into your family, and to be as much of a parent as if that child was born to you. The Court will then review your case to make sure all of the preliminary steps have been taken and that there are no problems. If you’ve had a good lawyer and you’ve taken her advice, this part is easy.