Important Information about Adoption

 Posted on November 18, 2012 in Adoption

Adoption is a complex legal proceeding involving the termination of the legal parental rights of birth parents and the assumption of legal parental responsibilities by the adoptive parents. It is advisable to consult an experienced family law attorney to make sure that your adoption case gets the best possible outcome.

There are several important issues families should know when considering adoption, for example, who can adopt and who selects adoptive parents. In Illinois, any person, male or female, who is not under legal disability, is of legal age and a reputable person can adopt a child, according to the Illinois Adoption Act. Adoptive parent(s) must have resided in Illinois without interruption for at least 6 months. The residency requirement does not apply to adoptions involving relatives. In independent or relative adoptions, the birth parents choose the adoptive parents.

It may be possible for the potential adoptive parents to have the child placed with them temporarily before the actual court proceedings, if the birth parent(s) authorize this. In independent adoptions, a review is completed by court services to ensure that the adoptive parents are capable to adopt a child. In relative adoptions the procedure is different; an investigation form is completed for the guardian ad litem which is eventually sent to the court. A guardian ad litem is “a person appointed by a court as guardian of an infant or other person to act on his or her behalf in a particular action or proceeding.”

The adoption is supervised by court services for 6 months. Relative adoptions are not supervised. The adoption becomes finalized after 6 months when the supervision period ends satisfactorily and the court issues a final order of adoption.

If you are contemplating an adoption, please contact a knowledgeable Geneva adoption lawyer today.