Stepchild Adoption

A.,
Congrats! A child wanting to be adopted by their step-parent who is always there for the good and the bad is a huge deal. You've probably got a bit of a road ahead of you though. I've done a lot of research on the subject, because I'm looking ot adopt my step-son. You will need an attorney, and I reccomend one that specializes in family law. There will have to be a termination of rights of the non-custodial parent. Usually there is home observation done by dhs, but sometimes that is waived in the case of step-parent adoption assuming that the everyone in the home has been living in a family unit for a minimum of 1 to 2 years. And then there's getting all the papers drawn up, going to court, do you want a new birth certificate for the child reflecting the new changes of parent, any kind of name changes you or she would want, such as last name, etc. It's kind of a long drawn out process, I haven't made it through it yet, but we're working towards it at the moment. I wish you luck and hope that this has helped you out some. Good luck and congrats!
S.

You cannot do an adoption yourself. You will have to get an attorney. The attorney will know how to prepare the parental rights termination paperwork and how to prepare the adoption petition. Use an attorney with a background in adoptions - it will cost you less in the long run as they know what they are doing. When you call attorneys, ask for an estimate of costs - they do many step-parent adoptions each year and will have a pretty good idea.

You will need an attorney. My husband adopted my daughter almost 2 years ago. I wish you the best of luck. Feel free to message me if you need anymore info.

I believe every adoption requires an attorney. They have to draw up all the paperwork to make it legal. I would recommend John Foley, ###-###-####. He was my attorney for my daughter's adoption and is helping me now with my adoption of her half-brothers. My adoptions were through the foster care system, but he does other family law as well.