Lancaster Adoption Lawyer

Welcoming a new child into your family is a thrilling prospect, but the adoption process is challenging at best. Intertwined with hope, love, and excitement is all the seemingly endless paperwork that can be intimidating. While the adoption journey is undeniably challenging, the rewards are immense, and an experienced Lancaster adoption attorney is well-prepared to help guide you effectively and efficiently through the process.

Adoption Requirements in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania has few specific requirements when it comes to adoptions in the state. For example, there is no minimum age involved, but adoption agencies can employ their own rules. You needn’t be married to adopt in Pennsylvania, but if you are, you and your spouse must adopt together. While you don’t need to be in perfect health or to have a flawless financial record to proceed with adoption, you must be physically capable of caring for the child and financially stable enough to provide for them.

Agency Adoption

Agency adoptions involve adults working with public or private adoption agencies that are licensed by the state. These agencies handle each of the steps in the process, and your adoption attorney’s focus will be ensuring that your rights are protected throughout. These agencies generally work with children whose parents have voluntarily given up their parental rights or with children whom the state has custody of due to any of the following:

• Abandonment
• Abuse
• Neglect

Kinship Adoptions

A kinship adoption – or a relative adoption – is an adoption case in which a relative or someone close to the family, such as the following, adopts the child:

• A stepparent
• A grandparent
• An aunt or uncle
• A close family friend

Kinship adoptions are often motivated by unforeseen events, such as the death, incarceration, or incapacity of at least one of the child’s biological parents. In these adoptions, the adoptive parent or parents often have a close relationship with the child, and the adoption process can be streamlined.

The Steps Toward Adoption

While every adoption follows its own unique path, the basic steps forward don’t vary, including:

• Agency selection
• The application process
• Completion of the family profile
• The matching process
• The pre-placement visit
• Placement
• Placement supervision
• Adoption finalization

Changing the Name of Your Adoptive Child

You can change the name of your adoptive child during the adoption process. In your final adoption decree, you will include your adoptive child’s desired new name. From here, you can change their name on their birth certificate and social security records with a vital records request form and your certified adoption decree.

Reach Out to an Experienced Lancaster Adoption Attorney Today

Stephen Grosh at the Law Office of Stephen W. Grosh is a compassionate adoption attorney who appreciates your desire to expand your family and will spare no effort in his protection of your legal rights in relation to this worthy goal. We are on your side and have the experience, legal skills, and drive to help – so please don’t wait to reach out and contact us online or call us at 717-435-8830 for more information about what we can do for you today.