12:24 PM Adoption Laws | National Adoption Center | ||||
The first legal step in adoption is the termination of the parental rights of a child's birthparents. The final step is the finalization of adoption in court, making you your child's permanent, legal parents. Along the way, there are many points where adoption laws will have an effect on your child's adoption. Termination of Parental Rights (TPR) This is a legal process involving a court hearing during which a judge issues a decree that permanently ends all legal parental rights of a birth parent to a child. This must occur before a child is considered to be legally free for adoption. Termination of parental rights can be voluntary or involuntary, that is, with or without the birthparents' agreement. In some states, there is a period during which the birthparent may appeal, if rights have been terminated without his or her consent. The length of that period varies from state to state. Legal risk is a term used to describe a potential adoption in which the child to be adopted is placed with the adoptive parents before the birth parents' rights have been terminated. An adoption is considered to be high risk if the rights have not yet been terminated, and it is expected that they may not be, because a birthparent or other relative will decide (and be approved) to parent. The adoption of newborn infants is often considered high risk. When a birthparent has consented to an adoption, there is a time period during which he/she can change his/her mind (revoke consent). This time period varies by state. To learn about laws specific to your state or jurisdiction contact your county's Department of Children and Youth. An adoption is considered low risk when the rights have not yet been terminated, but it is expected that they soon will be, and there is little likelihood of the child returning to the birth family. www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_policies/ or contact your county's Department of Children and Youth.To help you on your way there are a few people you will be in contact with. Here we will describe the roles some of these people play. To adopt a waiting child or teenager, you will work primarily with an adoption agency. It is only at the end of the process that you will need an adoption attorney / lawyer, who will prepare the paperwork to be filed and represent you in court. www.adoptionattorneys.org www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/adoptive/considerations.cfm. This links to the Child Welfare Information Gateway’s numerous publications on the legal aspects of adoption.If you have chosen intercountry adoption, you will also have more need for an attorney. You may want to read the documents found at: www.adoption.state.gov. the Intercountry Adoption Bureau of Consular Affairs of the US Department of State. A judge's role in the adoption process is to make any needed changes in the child's legal status. While a waiting child is in foster care, the child's case is usually reviewed periodically in court, to determine whether the goal should be reunification with the birth family or adoption. If the goal is changed, it must be done by a judge. A family court judge will make the decision to terminate parental rights of the birthparents and will preside over the finalization hearing and issue the adoption decree. nationalcasa.org .In some jurisdictions, paid child advocates are assigned to each child in care. Thus, the child may have his or her own attorney, or the advocate may be a social worker affiliated with an attorney's or public defender's office. Each state has an individual who is designated as its adoption specialist or manager. He or she can be a resource for answering questions that pertain to the adoption statutes of that state, and resolving difficult issues. Adoption agencies are licensed by the state in which they are located. Some large agencies may be licensed in more than one state. Ask your agency to see their licensing or you can contact your state licensing specialist to find out if an agency you are considering working with is licensed in your state. Each state in the United States and each province in Canada has a special department which deals with the affairs of children, youth and families, including child adoption. Some counties have a similar department. These departments go by many different names, and may be a part of the state's department of social services or human services. They provide services, case management, and permanency planning for children who wait in foster care. Some also approve families for adoption. While you may never actually visit their offices, a waiting child whom you adopt will very likely be in the care of such a department. Check the resource list for your state, or look in the blue pages of your telephone directory for a local office. Important legal adoption decisions are made in Family Court or, in some jurisdictions, in Orphan's Court. Responsibilities of the courts include:
Consent to adoption May refer to either of three different legal documents. The first is a legal document signed by the birthparents to verify their intention to reliquinish their child for adoption. It may be revoked, in some states, until the Court enters a final termination decree. A second consent to adoption is issued by the adoption agency allowing the adoptive family to finalize the adoption after all agency and legal requirements have been met. An adoption cannot be finalized without this consent. When a child being adopted is twelve or older, the child's consent may also be needed. This varies from state to state. Original Birth Certificate The original birth certificate is a certified document which indicates a person's birth information, including the birth mother's name, birth father's name if known, the date, place, and time of birth and the name given to the child at birth. When a child is adopted, an amended birth certificate is issued. www.childwelfare.gov/adoption /. This links to the Child Welfare Information League’s numerous publications on the legal aspects of adoption.Finalization is the legal process which transfers custody of the child from the adoption agency, county, or state to the adoptive parents. In a court hearing, an attorney represents the family and presents the case to the judge, resulting in the adoption decree. This is the moment when the adoptee becomes the permanent, legally adopted child of the adoptive parents. This process cannot occur until the adoptive parents have had the child in their home for the time determined by state statute, usually at least 6 months. The finalization hearing, sometimes held in the judge's chambers, usually lasts less than an hour, and is attended by the adoptive parents, the child, the family's attorney, and a social worker from the child's agency. The judge may review the family's homestudy, ask questions, and generally attempt to ensure that the child is being placed in a safe, loving home. Adoption Decree The adoption decree, sometimes called adoption certificate, is the document issued by the court upon finalization of an adoption, stating that the adoptee is the legal child of the adoptive parents. Amended Birth Certificate This is a birth certificate issued after a child has been adopted, similar to the original birth certificate, but names the adoptive parents as the parents. An adopted child will have both an adoption certificate and a birth certificate, although he or she may have access only to the amended one. Social Security Card To claim your adopted child or teenager as a dependent for tax purposes, he or she must have a social security number. If your child already has a number when he or she is adopted, you may either keep the same number or have a new number assigned. If your child is receiving Social Security benefits, Supplemental Security Income payments, or if the child has worked, the Social Security Administration will not assign a new number, but will update the child's record. In any case, you will need to contact the Social Security Administration to be sure the number is registered correctly, reflecting you as the child's parent. To find the nearest local office, visit the Social Security Administration website at www.ssa.gov . Open Adoption Agreement An open adoption agreement spells out the terms of the contact between the parties in an open adoption. An open adoption agreement can specify frequency and manner of contact between adoptive and birth families, and/or between siblings placed separately. However, while it may be drawn up in the form of a contract and signed by both parties, it is not legally binding. For further information on the following topics you can visit the websites mentioned with each section. Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) The Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (ASFA) is a federal law which was established to promote the safety, permanence, and adoption of children in foster care. The law limits the amount of time a child may stay in foster care by establishing shorter timelines for determining when she or he must have a plan for permanency. The law states that permanency court hearings must be held for children no later than 12 months after they enter foster care and the law also states that termination of parental rights proceedings must begin for any child who has been in the care of a state agency for 15 out of the most recent 22 months. Exceptions may be made to this requirement if the child is in the care of a relative or for other compelling reasons. ASFA also promotes interstate adoptions by prohibiting state agencies from denying or delaying a child's adoptive placement when an approved family is available outside of the child's jurisdiction. All 50 states have passed legislation to comply with ASFA. Your personal documents In order to complete the homestudy, you will need to provide several documents, including:
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