New Jersey Adoption & Getting a Lawyer’s Help
Expand Your Family
Expanding your family is one of the greatest and most important steps of your life. Adoption is one such way to expand your family whether you are adopting an infant, older child, stepchild or even an adult. There are several different types of adoptions and requirements necessary for adopting a child in NJ. Having an attorney to guide you through this important time is necessary to ensure that the adoption process goes smoothly and all legal requirements are met.
Ways To Adopt
Agency adoptions include both public and private agencies. The most common occurrence of a public agency adoption is through the Division of Child Placement and Permanency (DCPP), formerly the Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS). Oftentimes, the child being adopted begins the process as a foster child, and his/her foster parents wish to adopt him/her. In that case, a child is removed from the care of his/her parent(s). A private agency adoption is done through a properly licensed agency who is able to facilitate the placing of a child with potential adoptive parents. In that case, a pregnant woman is using an agency to find the right parent(s) for her child. In an agency adoption, there are necessary steps that must be taken through the agency before a NJ adoption can be completed. These include a home study and background checks.
Private adoptions are between the birth parents and adoptive parents without agency involvement. Once again, home studies and background checks are necessary but must be arranged by the birth parents since no agency is involved. An attorney can help first obtain both legal and physical custody of the child and then start the adoption process with the courts. As the adoptive parents, you would need to have custody of the child after the child is born in order to bring that child home from the hospital and begin your lives as a family. Thereafter, the adoption process is started to make the arrangement legal and change the child’s birth certificate to list the adoptive parents on the birth certificate.
Step-parent adoptions are less complicated than agency or private adoptions as the requirement for a home study is waived. Consent of the parent giving up his/her rights to the step-parent is usually necessary. As long as there is this consent, the process should be relatively easy and not problematic.
Adult adoptions are the least complicated form of adoption as the requirements for background checks and home study are unnecessary. All that is needed is consent of the person being adopted as well as the spouse of the person adopting, if not doing it together.
Experienced Lawyers Make A Difference
No matter which type of adoption you wish to pursue, it is important to hire the most experienced adoption lawyers in NJ. Every county in New Jersey approaches the process in a slightly different way thus having an attorney who is familiar with each county’s rules will help you in your adoption process. At Gruber, Colabella and Liuzza, we take pride in our commitment to provide the best legal services to our clients. Our compassion and our expertise can help you through the adoption process in NJ.