Adopting a new family member can an exciting, emotional, and highly rewarding journey. However, before you begin the adoption process, it’s important to research and understand your available options. Below, Ronald D. Zipp, Attorney at Law, in New Braunfels, TX, discusses the various forms adoption can take.

A Brief Guide to Adoption

Agency

Adoption agencies can be either private or public. The former are often run by charities or community organizations that assist the biological parents in relinquishing their parental rights and placing the child with a suitable family. Public ones are taxpayer funded and work with children who have become wards of the state due to abuse, abandonment, or neglect.

Independent 

Independent — or private — adoptions involve a direct arrangement between the biological and adoptive parents, sometimes with the aid of an intermediary such as an attorney or doctor. In any case, it is important that individuals hire an attorney to oversee the process and submit all necessary paperwork. In some cases, the biological parents may request an open process, which will afford them the ability to communicate with the child after everything is finalized.

Identified 

An identified adoption is one in which the biological and birth parents make contact independently and request that an agency manage the rest of the process. This option spares the adoptive parents of waiting while providing both parties with professional expertise and services.

Stepparent 

When a couple is married, a stepparent may request to adopt a child their spouse had with a previous partner. Aside from a court-ordered home study and paperwork, the process is often simple — especially if the other birth parent consents. However, if they are uncooperative or cannot be located, new couples benefit from the aid of a seasoned lawyer.

Adult 

As long as there’s a ten-year age gap and reason to believe it’s in the best interest of both parties, adult adoption is a viable option. While many involve stepparents and older children, others include adults who wish to secure inheritance rights for younger persons who are not blood relatives.

If you’re ready for adoption, Ronald D. Zipp, Attorney at Law, will streamline the process. Backed by over 40 years of legal experience, he’ll provide the personalized, professional legal aid you and your family deserve. Visit his family law firm online, or call (830) 629-5600 to schedule a consultation today.