When you decide to adopt a child, you choose to take part in a process that will enable you to become their parent and raise them as your own. Since adoption is a process, not just an event, it is important that adoptive parents learn the territory that they are about to enter before they begin working through the process.
Knowing what to expect throughout the adoption process can help you remain calm, confident, and focused on the outcome – bringing your wonderful child home to be with you. Since adoption is a legal process, there are terms associated with that process that may not be in common use in your everyday vocabulary. The following terms are just a few of the concepts related to adoption, but they are a good place to begin to develop a basic understanding of the process and how it works.
Adoption is the process by which the legal rights to parent a child are transferred from the child’s biological or legal parents to the adoptive parents. There are public adoptions, which involve adopting children from within the state’s child welfare system, and there are private adoptions, which involve choosing a child who best fits your family. States have varying rules regarding adoption, and it is important that adoptive parents work with a Kansas Adoption Attorney so that they will have access to the legal support and knowledge that they need as they navigate the adoption process.
If your adoption is an open adoption, that means that the child’s birth parents remain a part of the child’s life via telephone, mail, and often in-person contact. Closed adoptions do not involve contact between the birth parents and the child or their adoptive parents.
During the adoption process, you will participate in a home study. Home studies are performed by social workers who review information about your family, such as your financial status, health and criminal history, financial situation, and your reasons for adoption. As part of a home study, the social worker may also check personal references to learn more about you and your family.
In some states, adoption involves a waiting period after the birth of the baby before the birth parents can give up their rights to the child. If a presumed father is unaware of the birth, they may have some right to intervene in the adoption process. Your Kansas adoption attorney will help you understand the adoption laws that apply to your particular situation, whether you are adopting a Kansas child, an out of state child, or a child from another country.
Adoption is a great way to bring children into your family. When you work with an experienced Kansas Adoption Attorney, you will have the support of someone who had helped many families through the adoption process. If you have legal questions about adoption, Kansas Adoption Attorney Thomas McDowell is here to help you. Please call our office today, at (316) 633-4322 to make an appointment for your initial consultation.