How can i adopt my sisters baby in the state of texas?

Question

my younger sister is 20 and she has 2 children now...she cant afford the third which she is preggers with now...how do we get info or go about the adoption process in the state of texas...she lives in killeen and doesnt have a clue on how 2 get started

Answer 1

talk to a lawyer who specializes is adoption.  Perhaps she should consider permanent birth control methods.

Answer 2

http://www.txcare.org/

http://www.adoption.org/adopt/texas-adop...

this one is through CPS... this might be of some help to you...

http://www.dfps.state.tx.us/Child_Protec...

***my parents had a little boy that was left in their care for what was supposed to be a few days... mom just skipped town.  They called CPS and because she gave them permission, in writing, he was not considered abandoned.  But a caseworker was assigned, my parents kept him for a long time (which they wanted), and mom was in no "trouble."  My parents did have to go through some classes for foster parenting, and I think you can do this also for adoption.  Many people become foster parents in hopes of adopting as it is much cheaper than adopting privately or abroad.

Good luck, and God bless you for wanting to help care for your family!!!

Answer 3

Look in the phone book and call *several* adoption agencies/attorneys.  Shop around for a reputable place that you are comfortable working with.  Then go in, you and your sister together, and explain the situation.  The actual adoption won't happen until the baby is born- at that point, your sister will sign a form to terminate her custody of the baby.  It may take a while before the adoption is finalized in court, but the baby should be able to stay with you from the beginning.

Good luck to the three of you!!!

<3 Kelsey

Answer 4

What you first want to do is to have your sister sign over guardianship of the child after it is born.  This insures that the child is protected in case anything happens to your sister.  Then obtain the services of an attorney to file in family court a petition for adoption of the child that you are now legal guardian to.  By being the legal guardian of the child will make the adoption procedure that much easier.

Answer 5

Are you alone? I mean, are you married and want to adopt a baby or are you single and want to adopt your sister's baby?

If you are single, I think you should think long and hard about doing this. Bringing a baby into your life is the end of your life as you know it. By this, I don't mean your life will be bad, just different. You can't just take on a baby and think you can continue your life just as it was before, sort of "pack the baby into your backpack and resume your life." You can't.

I'm certainly not trying to talk you out of this, and I do commend you for trying to step up to the plate to help your sister, but this is a huge, long-term, life-changing commitment. Anyone - and I mean anyone - who has brought up a child will tell you this.

Is there an older, married and settled member of your family who might be better prepared to take your sister's baby? Again, if you are married and settled and want that baby, that's one thing, But if you aren't, please give this a lot of thought. It's nothing like the way they show it in the movies.

Good luck to you all - :)

Answer 6

Getting an adoption lawyer will be the best thing as he can handle the legal part for you. She will have to sign over her rights 48 hours after birth and possibly the father to.

Answer 7

Here are a couple links that have adoption information for the Killeen, Texas area.

http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&q=ad...

http://maps.google.com/maps?sourceid=nav...

Please ask your sister to use birth control and get counseling.  You are a wonderful, caring person to adopt her child but the truth is....how many more of her children can you adopt?  Good luck and God bless!

Answer 8

OK, well you need to contact an attorney in Killeen.  Then, you will need to have him/her terminate your sister's rights, and the father's rights.  Here is one I found on an adoption site:

Michael R. Lackmeyer

1201 South W.S. Young Dr.

Killeen, TX  76543

817-690-2223

Fax: [phone]



This is the sticky part --

Least risk:  If she knows who the father is, and he will sign, great.

Medium risk:  If he does not want to voluntarily sign, he will have to be served.  If he ignores the serve, his rights can be terminated.  

High risk:  If he gets served and responds to the serve (writes back saying he wants paternity testing, or custody), then it goes to court, and depending on how serious he is, and his financial resources, may last in litigation for over a year, until a decision over custody.

High risk:  If she doesn't know where the birthfather is, then the attorney will publish the information available in a law paper and wait to see if he responds.  If she does not know who the father is, then any info that is known abot him is published.  If after 4 weeks, he does not respond, his rights can be terminated.

By law, she MUST name all men she has had a physical relationship with in the past year.  All must be served, etc.

The greatest risk in adoption is the birthfather info.  You must stress to your sister the importantce of truthful reporting of this information, no matter how uncomfortable it may be.  Otherwise, the adoption could be disrupted when a man walks into the picture a year from now and claims he is the father and wants custody!  They always find out, even when birthmother's sometimes try to hide it.  Her child's life, stability and happiness (and your's!) may depend on her truthfulness!

Hope that helps.  Good luck!!

Answer 9

Each state has their own laws regarding how to complete an adoption in their state.  

Here is the information for the State of Texas on how the adoption process works: http://laws.adoption.com/statutes/texas-...

Also, you will need an agency or attorney to complete your adoption.  Here is a comprehensive list of organizations in Texas that can help you through the process:  http://directory.adoption.com/browse/Tex...

Hope that helps you!

Take Care!

Answer 10

Contact a lawyer that specializes in Family Law.  He/She should be able to set everything up for you.