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614-647-0400Building a family is an important life step that everyone wants to achieve. However, not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to do so themselves. For those in that situation, there is another option: adoption. Adoption is where one family assumes all legal parental rights and responsibilities of a child whose biological parents have given up those rights. As a top rated family lawyer from Brandy Austin Law Firm, PLLC. explains, those who believe that adoption is the right next step for them it is important to understand all that adoption entails. This includes choosing which type of adoption is right for you and learning about all the requirements in your state for adoption. These topics will be covered in this article so you and your family can be best prepared to start the adoption process.
The first and arguably most important step in the adoption process is choosing which type of adoption you want. There are three types of adoption, Domestic adoption, foster care adoption, and international adoption.
First, domestic adoption is exactly what it sounds like. In this process, a child within the United States is given up for adoption. Here the parent would contact an “adoption agency” to find the best place for their newborn child (CA). Specifically in the state of Texas, a mother must wait “48 hours after” giving birth, before waiving their parental rights and going through with the adoption (CA).
The second way to adopt is through foster care. Foster care is a system where children whose homes have been deemed by the state to be unsafe, are placed in a foster home or private home until they can return safely to their home. However, if a judge determines that the child will be unable to return to their home a private family can offer to house that child and eventually adopt them. This is best if a family wants to adopt “an older child” or a “set of siblings’ ‘ (CA).
The last type of adoption is international adoption. In this process a child that has been given up for adoption, or orphaned in another country, can be adopted by a family in the United States. However, this process does take “longer” and comes with “high cost” adoption fees (CA).
The next thing to know are the requirements of adopting in your state. In this article, the state of Texas will be discussed specifically. Here, there are six adoption requirements that must be met in order for a family to be eligible for adoption. If a person wished to adopt on their own they must be able to prove that they “21 years” of age are financially capable of raising a child
(AAI). Secondly, a person must fill out an “application” and provide references to prove their home would be a stable place for a child to live (AAI).
The most important requirements of adoption are completing a background check and a home study. The background check must be completed on everyone in the household that is “14 years or older” to ensure the safety of the adopted child (AN). Probably the most important requirement in adopting a child is the home study. This is where an adoption official comes and visits the home of a prospective adoptive family. There they will observe your family life and inspect the safety of the house (AAI). After that “interviews” of all family members at the home will be conducted (AAI) . If a family passes this home study then they will be able to move forward with their adoption.
Using this article as a guide to the adoption process will allow you to have a better understanding of adoption and prepare yourself and your family for the joy of a new child. With all this information in hand, you are one step closer to creating a new family.