Leander Adoption Attorneys

Experienced Texas Adoption Attorney Jason Wright Helps Leander Families Complete the Adoption Process

When you adopt, you expand your family. This makes adoption an exciting time but also a stressful one. You’re taking on the legal and practical responsibilities of parenthood as you add a child to your family.

Because adoption is a permanent decision, Texas courts are careful to consider whether adoptive parents are ready to adopt. Even when families look forward to adopting, going through the process can feel a bit like being under the microscope. Scrutiny from courts and other officials can impose extra stress.

One way to help reduce this stress is to work with a knowledgeable Leander adoption attorney. Your attorney can help you move efficiently through the process and welcome your new family member home. Attorney Jason Wright and the team at the Law Office of Jason Wright can help.

Texas’s Adoption Requirements

Although 135,000 adoptions occur in the US each year, children still wait to be adopted. Recent statistics estimate that up to 115,000 children nationwide wait to be adopted each year. Many spend their time waiting in foster care, uncertain where they’ll live, with whom, or if they’ll ever find a permanent home.

All children need a safe, loving home. Yet not all children in Texas are eligible for adoption. A child in Texas can be adopted only if they meet one of the following sets of requirements:

• Both parents no longer have parental rights. A petition to terminate one parent’s rights, however, can be filed alongside a petition to adopt. This process is commonly used when a pregnant woman decides to participate in an adoption of her child once the child is born. The adopting parents would likely file a petition to terminate the birth parent’s rights along with their petition to adopt the child.
• A parent with parental rights marries or remarries, and the new spouse wants to adopt the child. Also called “step-parent” adoptions, because a step-parent petitions to adopt their spouse’s child or children. The step-parent becomes a legal parent as well as accepting the day to day job of parenthood.
• Three factors apply: First, the child is at least two years old; second, one or both parents’ rights have been terminated; and third, the adopting adult has cared for the child for at least one year or is the child’s managing conservator. These adoptions often occur when, for instance, a family friend takes in a child after a parent died, abandoned the child, or was incarcerated. After a year, the adult who has been raising the child can petition to adopt the child.

Texas also has several requirements for adopting parents. These include:

• Age. Adopting parents in Texas must be at least 21 years old. An individual or a couple may adopt.
• Finances. Adopting parents must be financially stable. This requirement demonstrates to the court that the parent or parents can meet a child’s basic needs, like shelter, food, medical care, and education.
• Maturity. A Texas court must determine that adopting parents are responsible and mature enough to raise a child.
• Background. A criminal background check and child abuse check are required for Texas adults who wish to adopt.
• Documentation. Courts require several pieces of documentation from adopting adults. These include personal information, references, proof of completion of training courses on child abuse, and a home visit. If a married couple wishes to adopt, they must also provide a copy of their marriage certificate.

With this information in hand, a Texas court considers whether the adoption is in the child’s best interest. An experienced Leander adoption attorney can explain what the court will consider in your situation and how to demonstrate the adoption is in the child’s best interest.

Comparing Custody, Foster Care, and Adoption

Custody, foster care, and adoption decisions all focus on where a child will live and which adults will have legal responsibility for that child. However, these three categories differ significantly in their legal and practical consequences.

Custody

Custody, also called “conservatorship,” involves a court assigning specific responsibilities to an adult. Conservatorship decisions are commonly made in divorces, when the court assigns duties to one or both parents. Children may also be assigned a conservator who is not a parent in some cases.

Conservators only have the powers the court assigns to them. For instance, if a child’s parents are divorcing and one parent is assigned sole power to manage the child’s estate, the other parent may not exercise any power over that estate.

Foster Care

The state foster care system responds to urgent situations in which there is no parent or other available adult to care for a child. Children end up in foster care for many different reasons. Parents may die, abandon the child, be incarcerated, or be otherwise unable to raise their children.

Children in foster care typically stay until they are reunited with a parent, are adopted, or age out.

Adoption

Adoption creates a permanent relationship between a child and an adult. An adoption makes the adult the child’s parent for all legal and practical purposes. Whether or not the child maintains contact with birth parents, the birth parents have no parental rights.

Considering Adoption in Leander, TX? Take These First Steps

Whether you’re ready to adopt or still considering your options, you can take steps to prepare. These steps educate you on the adoption process, help you respond efficiently to requests for information, and secure the support you need throughout the process.

• Ask: Are you ready to adopt? Nearly one third of adults in the US have considered adoption at one point – but onyl 2 percent complete the adoption process. Have an honest conversation with yourself and your loved ones. Are you ready to be a parent, with all the challenges and choices it brings? Can you support a child’s financial needs? Do you have stable relationships at work and home to support you through the process?
• Narrow down your options. “Adoption” covers several different scenarios. Do you want to adopt a spouse’s children? Are you fostering a child, or do you want to meet children via the foster care system? Is international adoption an option for you? Are you hoping to adopt the child of someone whom you know is pregnant, or are you willing to meet prospective mothers willing to participate in adoption? Even when you have a particular path in mind, understanding other options can provide context and support.
• Build the case for adoption. The adoption process tests adopting parents’ readiness, ability, and knowledge about parenting and adoption. Talk to an experienced attorney to learn more about the legal and practical aspects of adoption.

Adoption Agency or Leander Adoption Attorney? Choosing the Assistance You Need

While adoption agencies and adoption attorneys both help adults seeking to adopt, they do so in different ways. Knowing how each works can help you choose the right path for your situation.

Adoption agencies connect prospective adoptive parents with children who need homes. As part of the process, these agencies often provide support services. For instance, they may help you decide which form of adoption is best for you. They may laos provide counseling, help you prepare for home visits, offer parenting classes, and more.

Adoption agencies vary in the services they provide. It’s helpful to talk to several agencies to learn what they offer and find one that fits your needs.

Adoption agencies aren’t the right choice for everyone. For instance, if you want adopt a spouse’s child, an adoption agency may be able to do little to help you. Because agencies focus on making the connections between adopting parents and children, they cannot always provide support when the adult and child already know one another.

One thing no adoption agency can do is provide legal advice or courtroom representation during the adoption process. For this, you’ll need to work with an experienced Leander adoption attorney.

An attorney can help whether you choose to work with an adoption agency or not. If an agency isn’t right for you, your attorney can help you through the process. If you do work with an agency, your attorney can help you finalize the adoption and handle legal and courtroom considerations. In both questions, your lawyer can address legal issues specific to your situation, answer your questions, and help you make the process as smooth as possible.

To Learn More, Speak to an Experienced Leander Adoption Attorney Today

Adoption offers a future full of hope. You’re adding a new member to your family. You may be giving a child a new home and parents or solidifying family bonds that already exist.

While this process is exciting and hopeful, it can also be stressful. Navigating the legal process can be challenging. For many families, adoption is their first experience with Texas family law or the court system. There’s a lot to learn and do, and it can be overwhelming.

For help, talk to an experienced, caring Leander adoption attorney. Attorney Jason Wright has extensive experience in Texas family law, including adoptions. To learn more and schedule a confidential consultation, contact the Law Office of Jason Wright today.