How Do You Adopt a Child in Kentucky?
When you adopt a child, you assume legal parenting responsibilities for the child from the child’s biological parents or parent. If you are considering adoption in Northern Kentucky, you will need the insights, advice, and legal services that a Covington adoption attorney offers.
Whether you are adopting a relative, a child who’s unrelated to you, or even a child from another country, your Covington adoption lawyer will explain how adoptions work in Kentucky and help you overcome whatever legal barriers you may encounter in the process of adopting a child.
It is important for a prospective adoptive parent to have the advice and services of an experienced Kentucky family law attorney who will ensure that the adoption fully complies with Kentucky’s adoption laws and that no legal difficulties with the adoption will arise in the future.
What Are the Different Paths to Adopting a Child in Kentucky?
Adoption is among the most joyful events that a family can experience. Approximately 135,000 children are adopted each year in the United States, and in Kentucky, adoptions are arranged in one of these three ways:
- Agency adoptions involve licensed adoption agencies that match children with adoptive families.
- Private adoptions usually involve working personally with the birth mother or birth parents.
- An international adoption, the adoption of a child from another country, must be approved by U.S. immigration authorities.
For prospective adoptive parents, international adoptions are usually the most expensive adoptions, but every adoption involves legal costs, court fees, and travel expenses. Before you begin the adoption process, consider the cost and discuss the matter with an adoption attorney.
What Are the Steps in the Adoption Process?
Kentucky’s adoption laws can be quite confusing, so ask a Covington adoption attorney to guide and advise you from the start. A prospective adoptive parent must take these steps to adopt a child in the State of Kentucky:
- Scheduling a consultation with a Covington adoption lawyer is your first step. Every child, family, and adoption is unique, so you must have sound, personalized legal advice from the beginning of the adoption process.
- If you want to adopt a specific child, you must have the consent of the birth parent or parents. A birth parent’s consent to an adoption must be in writing unless the court has involuntarily terminated that parent’s parental rights.
- You will participate in a “home study,” a comprehensive assessment of your home conditions. A social worker or an adoption agency conducts home visits, background checks, and interviews to ensure that your home will be safe and suitable for a child.
- Upon the completion of the home study, your adoption lawyer will submit to the court your petition for adoption.
How Long Does the Adoption Process Take?
For prospective adoptive parents, the home study may be the most intimidating aspect of adopting a child. In addition to the home study, you must attend training that teaches you how adoption works in this state.
The state will also conduct a comprehensive background check of the prospective adoptive parents. The adoption process in Kentucky can take from a few months to more than a year, so patience is one of the most important requirements for prospective adoptive parents.
What Should You Know About International Adoptions?
International adoptions require approval by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Depending on the child’s home nation, you may have to visit there more than once to meet that nation’s adoption requirements.
Many other nations, however, allow a child to be escorted to an adoptive parent’s home nation, so not all prospective adoptive parents will be required to travel abroad.
The Child Citizenship Act automatically grants U.S. citizenship to adopted foreign-born children when at least one of the adoptive parents is already a United States citizen.
What Are Post-Placement Visits?
Kentucky law requires post-placement visits after an adoption. These visits are not punitive. Caseworkers make these visits to offer parents intervention or support. The frequency and duration of post-placement visits will depend on the family’s needs.
Post-placement visits serve several purposes. The main purpose is to evaluate the child’s adjustment to his or her new family. The caseworker observes the relationships and interactions between the adopted child and the adoptive family members.
Caseworkers can provide guidance, support, and resources to adoptive parents. Caseworkers offer advice about parenting, address any challenges or concerns the adoptive parents may be facing, and connect families with local post-adoption resources and services.
What is the Role of a Kentucky Adoption Attorney?
Adoption attorneys in Kentucky are typically family law attorneys who also handle divorces and child custody disputes. During the adoption process, a Kentucky family law attorney will help you:
- file your adoption petition with the court
- complete the legal documents and forms required for the adoption
- work with state agencies, biological parents, legal guardians, and/or adoption agencies
- prepare for and satisfy the requirements of the home visits
An experienced Kentucky family law attorney will walk you through an adoption from start to finish, help you deal with any legal obstacles, and provide you with effective advocacy and representation throughout the process.
Why Choose the Law Offices of Shannon C. Smith?
An attorney at the Law Offices of Shannon C. Smith can answer all of your questions about adoption, explain your rights, and guide you through the adoption process. We represent clients across Northern Kentucky and Ohio, and we know how to handle the most complicated difficulties and legal challenges that prospective adoptive parents may face.
At the Law Offices of Shannon C. Smith, award-winning family law attorney Shannon C. Smith leads a dedicated, experienced legal team that guides and advises prospective adoptive parents. Our attorneys also handle divorces, child custody cases, and other matters of family law.
We bring our considerable legal experience to every client and every case. You can learn more about adoption in Kentucky – or launch the adoption process now – by calling the Law Offices of Shannon C. Smith at 859-414-0543 to schedule a no-obligation, no-cost case evaluation.