Adoption of a relative?

Question

I currently have temporary custody of a niece and would like to adopt her. Her mom said she would sign, but we dont know where to start. Can anyone help? This is in California.

Answer 1

You definitely need to contact an attorney - this would be the first and most important step. I work in foster care and adoption, although in PA. We have several families who have come forward to adopt/provide care for a relative's child(ren).

Generally, the way we begin to get involved is through a referral from that county's Children and Youth Services office. Some counties have their own families who provide this, others contract with outside agencies, which is what I work for.

It is a plus that the parent is willing to voluntarily sign rights; but you do need to look into if the other parent is willing to terminate their rights, or would it have to go to some type of Orphan's court in order to terminate? I have worked with the same agency for almost 8 years, and have seen many, many different outcomes of Kinship placements. Some have occured because of a parent requesting a relative adopt their child, other times, a relative is involved somehow, yet the natural parents do not wish to relinquish their rights (and therefore the issue goes to court).

You could also contact the CYS agency of your county directly, even if just to ask how to begin the process, but I agree that an attorney would give you more of the info you need. Don't hesitate to email me if you have any other ?s I could try to help you with - even though I'm about 3000 miles away and the laws differ! Good luck and I wish you and your niece the best!

Answer 2

Contact an attorney. Adoptions are complicated. Has the biological father signed his rights away? Have they been severed? Is the child a minor or over 18?

You need to find an attorney to do this.

Best of luck!