Do I Need a Lawyer to Adopt a Child in FT Lauderdale, Florida?
Choosing to adopt a child is a loving decision which families make when they wish to grow their family and give the gift of companionship and consistency to a child who was not gifted those privileges prior to meeting their new family.
When a person opts to adopt a child they generally expect it to be a very smooth and easy process. However, there are many steps which need to be taken from arranging the finances to being matched up with the perfect child. In order to make the procedure go as smoothly as possible, it is always a good idea to get in touch with a family law attorney in Ft Lauderdale, Florida.
A lawyer can assist parents with the following:
- Giving birth mothers the detailed adoptive parent profiles to help them get matched up with a child as soon as possible.
- Matching adoptive parents with relevant birth mothers to the criteria they request.
- Getting access to the birth mothers records prior to the pregnancy and having it examined by a medical practitioner who they trust in order to determine possible health complications the child may have or develop in the future.
- Dealing with the legalities required to move the legal status of a parent over to the adoptive parents, and terminating the right of parenthood of the birth mother.
Adopting a child is generally a very emotional experience for both the adoptive parents and the birth mother. A legal representative can help make the procedure go by as smoothly as possible by helping parents throughout the entire process. When it comes to undergoing a successful adoption, communication and being informed are vital. A lawyer can help ensure parents are receiving all of the information they need to make an informed decision.
Will the birth parents still have rights over the adopted child after all the paperwork has been signed?
In most cases, no, the birth parents will lose all rights to their child as that is essentially what adoption is. However, the amount of communication between the two parties will vary depending on what sort of adoption a person opted for. If they opted for a closed adoption then the birth parents will no longer communicate with the adoptive parent. However, if they opted for an open adoption then the birth parents will remain in touch with the adoptive parents throughout their lifetime.
Many parents are opting for open adoption nowadays because it allows them access to some insight from the birth parents if their child is behaving in ways they can’t understand or if their child is not developing the way they thought he or she would.
Raising a child is no small task and having as much help as possible is always a good idea. If a couple is set on adopting a child then they should get in touch with a family law attorney to help them get matched with a child at their earliest convenience.
