Follow adoption requirements to ease the adoption journey.
Adoption brings a new person into the family. Exciting though it is, the process can also become very complex, bringing unexpected hurdles and challenges. Learning as much as possible about the requirements can smooth the path for the birth parents, the adopted child and the adoptive parents. The state of California provides clear requirements for all three parties involved in the adoption process.
Consent
California adoption law requires the consent of any living birth parents and the person adopting the child. Additionally, the spouse of the person adopting must consent to the adoption. The law provides exceptions for special instances, including when the birth parents have failed to respond to an adoption notice, to support the child, or to communicate with the child, or if the court has removed the birth parent's custodial rights. The child must consent if he has reached age 12.
Who
The adoptive party may adopt any unmarried minor. However, the minor must be at least 10 years younger than the adoptive parent, unless the adoptive parent is a close relative or if the adoptive parent adopts jointly with his spouse. The birth parents may put a child up for adoption, or the agency or government department that has custody of the child may place a child for adoption. (Reference 2)
Expenses and Payments
California law allows the prospective adoptive parents to pay for maternity care and any medical expenses for the birth mother. However, these payments must be written down and presented to the court, and they must not rest on the birth mother's final decision to place her child. The law also places a $500 fee for public adoption agencies and regulates the fees determined by private adoption agencies. The court may waive the public adoption-agency fee when the adoptive parents are unable to afford it or when the court determines that to waive the fee is in the child's best interest. All financial details and decisions must be in writing, as well as the rationales for these decisions.
Tags: birth parents, adoptive parent, adoptive parents, adoption agencies, birth mother, child adoption