November is National Adoption Month!
In Maryland, there are three main types of adoption: Public Agency Adoption, Private Agency Adoption, and Independent Adoption.
What is Public Agency Adoption?
In Maryland, public agency adoptions involve children adopted from the foster care system through the Maryland Department of Human Services and local Departments of Social Services. Many such children were placed in the foster care system due to parental abuse, neglect, abandonment, or other circumstances that prevent reunification with their birth families. Children in foster care span all age groups. Some may have special medical or emotional needs.
What is the process for Adoption?
Adoptions of all types require the consent of the natural parents or a termination of parental rights. In many public agency adoptions, parental rights have been terminated by a court due to abuse, neglect, or abandonment, and the public agency has been granted guardianship of the child with the right to consent to adoption.
In adoptions of children over the age of 10, the child must also consent to the adoption. An independent attorney for the child will ensure the child understands and gives their consent to being adopted before the adoption can proceed.
Prospective adoptive parents in public agency adoptions must complete certain training and must submit to investigation by the agency including criminal background checks, medical examinations, home studies, and post-placement visits.
Once all requirements have been met, the prospective adoptive parents will file a Petition for Adoption with the court, including all necessary information and supporting documents. If desired, the petition can include a request to change the name of the child. The prospective adoptive parents and prospective adoptive child will then attend a hearing for the adoption to be finalized by the court, creating a parent-child relationship. The adoption decree will direct for a new birth certificate to be issued naming the adoptive parents as the parents of the child and reflecting the child’s new name, if a change is requested.
Why Families Choose Public Agency Adoption
For many Maryland families, public agency adoption is both a path to parenthood and a way to make a lasting difference in the life of a deserving child. Public agency adoptions are less expensive than private agency adoption and may provide for certain subsidies and benefits depending on the needs of the child.
Jane Rodgers handles Adoption matters in Maryland and the District of Columbia. If you are interested in pursuing Adoption, contact our office at 240-396-4373 for more information.
