ADOPTION Adoption is a procedure by which people legally assume the role as parent for a person who is not their biological child. Adopted children have the same legal rights and status as biological children. Although the majority of adoptive parents are married, it has become much more common over the last ten years for single people to adopt as well. Some states, such as Minnesota, also recognize adoptions by two people of the same sex or adoptions by a man and woman who are not married to each other.
Types of Adoptions:
1) Stepparent or Relative Adoption
In a stepparent adoption, the spouse of a biological parent adopts the child. In Minnesota, before a child may be adopted by a stepparent, the biological legal parent, if one exists, must either consent to the adoption or the biological parent's parental rights must be terminated in court.
Adoptions by relatives are generally easier to arrange than adoptions by people who are not biologically related to the child. In many cases, the child already resides with the relative(s) who are seeking to adopt them.
2) Agency Adoptions
In an agency adoption, the people who wish to adopt a child contact a state agency or state-licensed agency and let them know they wish to adopt. The agency will then conduct a home study which includes a detailed investigation into the background of the prospective adoptive parents. If the adoptive parents are approved, the agency will then assist in locating a child who is available for adoption.
3) Direct Placement Adoption
In a direct placement adoption, the birth parent places the child directly with the prospective adoptive parents without first surrendering custody of the child to a licensed child-placing agency. In Minnesota, it is crucial that the adoptive parents obtain a pre-placement custody order from the court before the child is placed in their home.
4) International Adoption
The majority of parents wishing to adopt a child from a foreign country use an adoption agency to assist them. Most agencies are familiar with the adoption laws of foreign countries and usually maintain contacts with countries where many children are waiting to be adopted. People who wish to adopt a child from another country must follow the requirements of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, including such things as a home study and extensive documentation which must be submitted to the USCIS and the courts in the child's country of origin. |
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