What is Adoption?

Adoption is the process through which a person — the adoptive parent — assumes permanent legal responsibility for a child. … Once an adoption is finalized, the adoptive parent is the legal parent of the child. There’s no legal difference between an adopted child and one who is born into a biological family.

What is adoption? Adoption is the establishment of a legally recognized, lifelong relationship between adoptive parents and the adopted child. Adoption is a permanent choice for birth parents. There are various types of adoption.   These are:

Stepparent Adoption: A stepparent adoption is used to legalize the parent-child relationship between a stepparent and his/her spouse’s child. In a stepparent adoption, the stepparent assumes financial and legal responsibility for the spouse’s child, and the non-custodial parent is released from all parenting responsibilities, including child support.

Domestic Infant Adoption: when adopting a newborn in the USA you will be matched with a birthmother who is seeking to place her child for adoption.  This can be a child that has not been born yet or a child who is already born.

Relative Adoption: A majority of all domestic adoptions are by relatives such as grandparents, aunts and uncles. Relative and Grandparents adoption is legalizing the parent to child relationship through the act of adoption.  

Adoption Through Foster Care: One can choose to adopt older children or sibling groups from the state foster care system.  This means the child(ren) being offered for permanent placement have already been approved for adoptive placement. You do not need to become a foster parent to adopt a child through foster care when working with a private adoption agency.