Adoption is a legal process covered within Family Law in Hutchinson KS. Under state law, any adult or married couple who wish to adopt must undergo rigorous background checks. Each prospective parent attends a thirty-hour parenting course. And finally, a caseworker conducts a home study to determine whether the family, and the child are the right match. Anyone who wants to adopt a child in Reno County should hire an attorney to guide them through this complex procedure.
The Adoption Process
Prospective parents work closely with adoption agencies in Kansas to complete the adoption process. Once a child is chosen for adoption, the law requires that the court establish whether or not the biological parent’s rights have been terminated. If the birth parent still maintains a claim over the child, the court must file a petition to notify them of this motion. In this petition, the prospective parents are requesting consent from the biological parents to the child.
Consent is not required when the biological parent is incarcerated or institutionalized. However, the Reno County family court must file a motion to have the parent’s rights terminated. If the parent is in prison, the court makes this determination based on the duration of the sentence and the crime in which he or she committed. If the crime relates to any offenses that present a risk to the child or reflect situations that are not in the child’s best interest, the court will move to terminate their parental rights.
The court will not allow the adoption process to conclude until the findings of the background checks, and home study are concluded. Any reports that reflect that the prospective parents are unable support the child financially or provide a safe environment, the request for adoption is denied. However, favorable reports lead to the conclusion of the process.
The prospective parents attend a hearing in which the judge officiates the adoption. They have the opportunity to change the child’s name, if they choose. A new birth certificate is issued on which the adoptive parents’ names appear. Anyone who wishes to adopt a child in Reno County should file a petition through an attorney who practices Family Law in Hutchinson KS or Click Here for additional guidance.
