Adopting a child is one of the best gifts you can give and receive. However, while adoption is an exciting and life-changing event, it can also be extremely complex.
When you work with a Linwood, NJ, adoption lawyer, you reduce your risk of running into unexpected hurdles. When you have confidence that your child’s adoption was done the right way, you can focus on building your family’s shared future.
Types of Adoption
There are many different types of adoption. Each comes with its own unique set of challenges, but each can also make a major positive difference in the life of a child:
Public Adoption
Public adoptions are adoptions of children in foster care. When a child is taken from their parents by the New Jersey Division of Child Protection & Permanency (CP&P), the goal is often to reunite the family. However, in severe cases of neglect and abuse, the biological parents’ rights may be terminated, and these children can be adopted.
There are two main ways to go about public adoption. One is serving as a foster parent and then adopting a child you are fostering. Another is directly adopting a child without being a foster parent first.
Private Adoption
Private adoption is often more costly than public adoption. Instead of adopting a child who is in foster care, you work with an adoption agency. These agencies connect birth parents with prospective adoptive parents.
Depending on the agency, you may have the opportunity to meet and connect with the birth parents. However, other agencies simply match children to adoptive parents without bringing the birth parents into the process.
This method is often appealing to adoptive parents hoping to adopt an infant. While there are many children in foster care looking for homes, only a small percentage of them are infants.
Stepchild Adoption
Blended families are increasingly common, and stepchild adoption offers a way to solidify family bonds. As a result, stepchild adoption is the most common type of adoption.
With a stepchild adoption, a non-custodial parent adopts their spouse’s biological child. When this happens, the non-custodial parent (the child’s other biological parent) loses their parental rights.
The complexity of stepchild adoption can vary. The best case scenario is when the non-custodial parent consents to the adoption and willingly gives up their rights. This often happens when the non-custodial parent is already not involved in the child’s life and wants to be free from child support and other responsibilities.
The other scenario is when the non-custodial parent does not consent to the adoption. If there are grounds to terminate their parental rights, you may be able to do this through the New Jersey court system. For example, if the non-custodial parent has been convicted of abusing or neglecting the child in the past, there’s a good chance their rights can be terminated.
Kinship Care and Adoption
Being taken away from their parents is stressful for any child. Ideally, CP&P tries to reunite children with their parents when it is safe to do so. For example, if a parent neglects their child due to drug use, CP&P may remove the child. If the parent seeks treatment and remains sober, they may regain their rights.
Unfortunately, reunification isn’t always possible. In these cases, CP&P will often look for “kinship care” opportunities. This is when the child is placed in the long-term care of a relative — and is often adopted by that relative.
If a family member has permanently lost custody of their children and you want to adopt them, a Linwood, NJ, adoption lawyer can help guide you through the process of kinship adoption.
International Adoption
International adoptions are often the most complex of all. In addition to the logistics of the adoption process itself, you must navigate immigration laws and the laws of the child’s home country. Your lawyer can help you through the process and minimize your chances of running into roadblocks along the way.
How a Linwood, NJ, Adoption Lawyer Can Help
Whether this is your first time adopting a child or you have done so before, having an adoption attorney by your side can make the process clearer and reduce your risk of making costly mistakes. These are some of the ways our attorneys may be able to guide you through your next adoption:
Helping You Choose a Type of Adoption
Many of our clients come to us knowing they want to adopt a child — but not knowing where to start. Our team can help you understand the various types of adoptions available. If need be, we also can help you choose an adoption agency or adoption provider.
Helping You Prepare for a Home Study
In most cases, you will need to undergo a home study before you may adopt a child. A home study is when an adoption provider visits your home and looks into all residents of the home to ensure it’s a suitable place for a child. Our attorneys can help you understand what to expect if you must undergo a home study.
Helping You Understand Costs
Adopting a child can be expensive. Usually, the total cost of adoption is the sum of many different fees like these:
- Adoption agency fees
- Legal fees
- Home study fees
- Cost of court filing
Your lawyer can discuss the cost of adoption with you before you begin. They also can help you understand the federal adoption tax credit and determine whether you qualify for it.
Depending on the type of adoption you’re pursuing, you may also be eligible for a grant or other funding. If cost is a concern, your lawyer can help you identify any grants you may qualify for.
Completing and Filing All Documents
Most adoptions involve a significant amount of paperwork. You likely will need to gather and submit the following:
- Consent forms for criminal background checks
- Home study consent forms
- Forms detailing your medical history
- Letters from the police department stating you are of good character
- A certified copy of your birth certificate
- Reference letters
Keeping track of the paperwork you need (as well as where and when you need to file it) can be overwhelming. Our Linwood, NJ, adoption lawyers handle adoptions regularly, so we can organize your documents and make sure they’re submitted appropriately.
Handling Case Complexities
Adoptions aren’t always straightforward — even if it looked that way in the beginning. For example, you could be in the process of adopting a child you’ve been fostering for years, and a biological parent might suddenly appear and say they want custody. An attorney can help you navigate situations like these and represent you in court if necessary.
Why Work With Petrelli Previtera, LLC?
The right Linwood, NJ, adoption lawyer can help make your adoption experience as expedient and stress-free as possible. At Petrelli Previtera, LLC, we have a long-standing commitment to our clients — and it shows. Our dedicated attorneys have been recognized by Super Lawyers, the Inc. 5000 List, and Martindale-Hubbell’s Gold Client Champion Award.
We take the time to get to know you and your family and help you select the type of adoption that’s right for you. And once you’ve made your decision, we’ll be with you every step of the way. Call us or contact us online to schedule an appointment today.
