Private adoption question?

Question

My hubby and I were just approached by a family member who is friends with a woman who does not want to parent her 3 month old daughter..the father is not involved (by his choice) at all in her life or the baby's life.

We have been trying to have a baby for 4 years and would LOVE to adopt this sweet baby girl. - My questions are this:

#1 - Do you still need to do a homestudy for a private (non-agency) adoption

#2 - If yes, how long does an average homestudy take?

#3 - Can the baby be physically placed with us before it is completed or will she go 'into the system' until we're done?

Answer 1

It depends on where you live.  The mother can place guardianship with you until everything is done (in most states, as all this advice will be).  You will need a home study.  Most teen centers that work with disadvantaged youth will have a licensed social worker that can do home studies.  An attorney in family law can most likely handle the adoption.  It will be necessary for you to have things like criminal checks, your home inspected for size and nursery availability.  Talk to the person you hire to do the home study.  Ours took about 3 months.  It can be done a little quicker.  If you work at a job that you have a current, original copy of a criminal check (most nurses, school employees, etc, have one on file), your social worker may be able to use those.  Also, the father will have to sign consent to adopt forms also.

Answer 2

yes you have to have a home study. A lot of how long it takes probably depends on how fast you get your paperwork done. There is quite a bit. It took us about two to three weeks to get our paperwork done and we were doing everything as fast as we could. Then once you get that done I imagine it takes a couple of months to get it back. I would talk to this girl and if she is really wanting to let you adopt the baby I would schedule an appt. with an adoption lawyer. Make sure it is an adoption lawyer not just a lawyer.  I would ask the lawyer if she can sign over custody to you. Also her and the father go ahead and sign over their rights. I don't see why they couldn't do that. I think that would be best for the baby if you are gonna adopt her. The sooner she is with your family the better.

Good luck,

Michelle

Answer 3

Contact an Adoption Attorney immediately.

I don't believe you need to go through an agency if you're doing a private adoption, but you do have regulations you'll have to fulfill and these are determined by your state laws.  The attorney will know the laws and know the requirements.

ALL your questions need to be answered by an adoption attorney, NOT by people at Yahoo Answers.  So, tomorrow, find a good adoption attorney.

cw

Answer 4

Yes, you will still need a home study. It could take up to 3 months before it's approved. I suppose the mother could have whoever she wants to take care of the child in the meantime (not suggested) but the baby could not be legally placed with you until certain steps are accomplished. See an adoption attorney.

Answer 5

Well, I do not know what state you live in but if all states are like N.Y. State, yes you would need a home study.  Basically, they have to see how you live, the condition in which you keep your home and if you are fit to be a parent. Which I am sure you are.  A termination of parental rights would have to take place for both parents.  The father would have  to give up his rights to the child.  The mother could give you guardianship and papers would have to be filed with the court so that you could act as the child's guardian until the adoption goes through.  A petition and an entire packet of papers have to be filed with the court, as well as finger prints and search to see if you are listed for child abuse.  The court will require a marriage certificate, divorce documents/certificates of death/annulment if you were previously married and physicals.

go to this website for an adoption check list http://www.appellate-brief.com/legal/Ado...

Sit with an adoption attorney who could go over the procedure with you to see what is required.  Good luck!!

Answer 6

#1 - Yes.

#2 - That depends on how soon you can get the appointment and pay for it (ours cost $1200).  The homestudy process itself consists of between 1-3 meetings with a social worker, and then the SW will type it up, have it approved, and you're ready to go.  Beginning to end, our homestudy took about 3 weeks.

#3 - You should be able to obtain temporary guardianship of the child during this time if the parents give permission.

#4 - Please give the mom LOTS of time to change her mind, let her see her child whenever she wants, and understand that she could change her mind.  And that if she DOES change her mind, it's a GOOD thing.  Families shouldn't be separated unless it's absolutely necessary.  If you make an open adoption agreement, please stick to it, no matter what.

Best of luck to you!

Answer 7

We had a very similar situation with our adoption.  What I can tell you is this...

Adoption (regardless of how it is done) is a legal proceeding and because of that you will need to have certain things such as background check, fingerprints, and yes, a home study.  

The timing can be quite varied, but for us, we met our son in January and had him home with us in May.  However, he was in kinship care through the state with his grandparents.  

It is my understanding that the only way the child will "go into the system" is if the state intervenes, or if the mother has chosen to place the child into the system.  That being said, the state foster care involved with our son tried to "capture" the child to put into foster/adopt and the family had to fight to proceed with a private adoption.  It can be done, though.

Your best bet is to speak to an attorney that specializes in adoption or an agency that specializes in "identified adoptions".  We chose the agency route after our attorney and the biological family's attorney recommended it to both of us.  We used Adoptions From the Heart (www.adoptionsfromtheheart.org) for our identified adoption.  You may want to see if they can help you.

Good luck.  Email me through my profile if I can offer any further assistance, as we've been down the road you are about to travel.  : )

Answer 8

Call an adoption attorney in your state.