Have you considered adoption? It can be a daunting process, but it may just be the most rewarding thing you do in your life! To help you out on your journey, we want to give you a bird’s eye view of the Texas adoption process.
Texas Adoption Process
If you have decided to move forward with adoption, congratulations! This is a big step and you are about to embark on quite the journey. You join many other Texas families in the adoption community. Texas permits single and married adults to adopt so long as they are at least 21 years of age, financially stable, and:
- Provide references
- Provide proof of marriage, when applicable
- Provide proof of divorce, when applicable
- Complete a home study
- Submit to a criminal background check and child abuse check (along with all other adults living in the household)
- Complete an adoption application
After deciding to adopt, the next big decision will be what type of adoption you wish to pursue. While some have their hearts set on adopting an infant, others are open to adopting older children. Some wish to pursue international adoption and some want to stay with a domestic adoption. Some adoptive parents are okay with communicating with the birth parents and others are not. Reflect on these options and decide what type of adoption will look right for you and your family. These are adoption aspects that will be critical before proceeding on the road ahead. They will dictate who you work with as well as the adoption path itself.
Once you have completed all adoption requirements, a child will eventually be placed with you. Upon placement, further steps will need to be taken to finalize the adoption. This process will look different depending on the nature of the adoption. For instance, if you adopted a child outside of Texas, across state lines, you will need to complete Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children paperwork. You will need to remain in the state of the adoption until this paperwork has been cleared and this can take anywhere between 7 to 10 business days.
There will also be a number of post-placement visits that will need to be performed by a home study provider. The reports of these visits will be reviewed by adoption professionals as well as the court. Texas usually requires at least five post-placements visits prior to the finalization of an adoption.
There will be a hearing scheduled to finalize the adoption where a judge will review and verify whether all post-placement and adoption requirements have been met. The Texas Family Code requires the child to be in the adoptive parents’ custody for at least 6 months before the adoption can be finalized. Some counties require both adoptive parents to be present at the finalization hearing.
Family Law Attorneys
Are you considering adoption? A good place to start is talking with the family law team at Navarrete & Schwartz about the road ahead. We are proud to serve the residence of Midland, Texas. Contact us today.