Preserving Family Bonds with Adopting A Child in Georgia

When the child’s birth parents are unable to care for them, extended family members often turn to relative/kinship adoption. It is a great way to preserve the family connection and ensure a stable environment for the child. If you want to pursue this path in adopting a child in Georgia, you will find all the details to assist you with the process in this blog.

Know Kingship Adoption Before Adopting A Child in Georgia

The kingship adoption is also known as family or relative adoption. It can be done by the children’s grandparents, aunt, uncle, or siblings. In Georgia, any kid with any living parent or grandparent may be adopted by a related adult.

Like any other adoption process, the adoptive parents gain full rights to the child. It means they will be able to do the following:

Make medical decisions and obtain their medical records
Take basic decisions, like admission to schools
Ensure the child’s inheritance rights
Ensure insurance benefits

Many people who are looking for relative adoption are already raising that child in their home, and this process gives them the legal right to parent the child successfully.

Process Adoption Attorney Follow for Kinship Adoption

Whether you are pursuing relative adoption in Georgia or any other state, you will need the help of an adoption attorney to guide you through this process efficiently. The services they can help you with include:

Obtain Consent or Terminate Parental Rights

If the kids already have a living parent, then those parents/guardians should voluntarily surrender the rights, or the court must terminate those rights.

Help with Pre-Placement Investigation

While the home study isn’t necessary with the relative adoption, the court might order a simple investigation. The adoption professionals like Tom Tebeau help ensure everything is finalized to help you start your life with your new family.

Filing Adoption Petition

The attorney will help you finalize the legal paperwork and file it in court to start the legal procedure for your adoption.

Finalizing the Adoption

The finalization process varies depending on the state of your residence. The lawyer will help and represent you to finalize your kinship adoption process in the final court hearing. They will also help complete all the administration processes.

Negotiating Post-Adoption Terms

When the birth parents voluntarily surrender their rights, it is common they come in a post-adoption contract with adoptive parents. In Georgia, these agreements are legally enforceable, so make an outline of a plan for birth parents to stay in touch with the children.

Eligibility criteria for Relative Adoption

Like any other type of adoption, relative adoption also requires some criteria for potential adoptive parents. It includes:

The adaptive parents should be residents of Georgia for a minimum of 6 months before filing the petition.
The relative wanting to adopt should be 10 years older than the child.
The age of adoptive parents should be 25 years old unless married and living with a spouse.
If married, then adoption should be done along with the spouse.
The adoptive parents should be stable to take care of the children.

Successful Process with Adoption Lawyers!

Adoption is undoubtedly an emotional process, but it also has plenty of legal requirements that you have to fulfill before starting your new family. For this purpose, it is highly suggested to hire a lawyer when adopting a child in Georgia. They will guide you throughout the process to help you start your new life with your family.

To know more about kinship/relative adoption, move on to our next section of common queries.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you adopt a relative’s child?

Relative adoption, otherwise known as a kinship adoption, is allowed in Georgia. In this type of adoption, an adult can gain legal parenting rights for eligible family members. Though they become a legal parent, the birth mother will still be able to have an active part in the child’s life.

How do I adopt my grandchild in Georgia?

To be eligible for any type of relative adoption in Georgia, you need to fulfill these criteria:

Residents of Georgia for more than 6 months.
Be at least 10 years older than the child.
Financially and mentally stable to take responsibility for a kid.
If married, the adoption should be done with the spouse.

These are some basic requirements to carry out a successful relative adoption. For more details, you can get help from adoption lawyers who have years of experience finding a new family for the children.