Adopting a baby...without an agency??Please help!!!?

Question

Ok...so..my girlfriend and I have wanted a baby for a long time, but we do not want to go through an agency or anything like that...a lady I know has a 1 year old and the father left and now she wants to find someone to adopt her son, but I am not sure about the laws. Is there a legal way we can adopt him without it taking forever and without having to fill out a million papers? Please help ASAP!!

Answer 1

If this is what the mother and you and your girlfriend both want, then you can get a lawyer and do a private adoption.  There are still certain procedures that have to be followed (home study, background check etc.) There is nothing wrong with doing it this way. Why should a child have to live in the system for any longer than they have to.  Contrary to the way some believe not every adoption has to go through an agency. There are a lot of adoptions that are private and are handled by a lawyer not an agency. My adoption was done by a lawyer no agency involved. Good luck to you.

Answer 2

My advice its to DO IT THE RIGHT WAY. not the way that is quick and cheap.

Answer 3

>>>I just don't want to have to wait years to get the baby.>>

yeah, ummmmm, greed isn't a quality i would look for in a PAP.

Answer 4

you will definitely need a lawyer. Most states require adoption homestudies. If the child is available now then I would say talk to the lawyer about getting custody, now. Some states say you either must be married or only one of you can adopt. Meaning single couples cannot adopt.

Answer 5

You need to go through an agency.  Everyone in the situation needs to have the proper couseling/education on the adoption process.

If you really dont want to, then contact a lawyer.

Answer 6

Adoption has to be in "the interest of the child". It cannot be a trade off between adults under any circumstance.

To take on a child well known to you from a known person will carry with it a myriad of problems as the triangle between the child, the birth mother and the adoptive parents continues.

It would be advisable to counsel the birth mother to give up the child for adoption to a recognised organisation so that the child will find a proper home with all the legal formalities on both sides taken care off.

Secondly if you are really keen to adopt this child you could also be open to adoption and take on any child. Momentary decisions of this kind may not be workable in the long run. So do not make this child the reason for your adoption - make up your minds that you wish to adopt for the sake of adoption.

If of course beyond all this you still wish to adopt a child then do so through an attorney to legalise the adoption to safeguard the interest of the child.

All the best.

Answer 7

you will have to have a homestudy done to say you are qualified to parent the child - this is usually done by an agency (at least in CA). you will need a lawyer, and the laws will vary based on your state.

If both parents are willing to sign the papers it should be pretty straight forward, and should take only a few months. I think the child can be in your custody very quickly, and the paperwork can catch up. To finalize the adoption there may be a waiting period.  In CA the child must be in your home (and social workers must visit) for 6 mo to ensure it is a good environment for the child. You are the parents during this time, but until this is complete the adoption isn't final. Once it is final it is as if you've given birth (from a legal perspective).

To get started I would contact a lawyer specializing  in adoption.

Answer 8

You have to have an attorney, even if you don't work with an agency. And depending on your state, you'll have to fill out millions of papers. And you should! Those papers are to protect the child, which should be everyone's first priority!