Adoption And Foster Care

Adoption laws may differ by state, but there are certain adoption laws that each state must abide by in order to comply with the federal government. Federal adoption laws are many in number, but here are a few of the more important ones which are incorporated by individual states in order to provide for safe and secure adoptions for all parties involved: Adoption Assistance & Child Welfare Act Introduced in 1980, this was a major step in federal adoption laws, as this act provided programs to...Read Full Story

Washington adoption laws state that any mentally competent person over the age of 18 may adopt a child. It should be noted that children 14 years and older must give consent prior to being adopted. Adoption laws in Washington do not require a home study period – a window where the adoptive parents are interviewed thoroughly by a social worker – which sets them apart from most other states. Birth mothers can, under Washington adoption law, choose to work directly with the state’s Department of...Read Full Story

Over the past decade, North Carolina adoption laws have changed drastically, in order to give more rights to all parties involved – the birth mother, the adoptive family, and the adopted child. The biggest change is that North Carolina adoption law now allows contact between the birth mother and her adopted child after the adoption has been finalized by the courts. Photo from North Carolina Adoption Laws post Over the past 10 years, North Carolina adoption law have changed drastically...Read Full Story

Adoption laws in New Jersey allow for any person – married or single – over the age of 18 to adopt a child. New Jersey adoption law also provides counseling, medical, mental health, financial, and legal assistance to both birth mothers and adoptive families alike. Adoptive families are able to, under New Jersey adoption laws, works directly with the birth mother, a placement agency, or a foster care facility when adopting a child. It is also completely legal under New Jersey adoption law for...Read Full Story

In recent years, Pennsylvania adoption law has undergone some changes that are considered more inclusive in regards to the legal rights of the adopted child. As in most states, adoption laws in Pennsylvania exist to assist the birth mother in placing her child with the appropriate family or foster agency, and even provide financial assistance to adoptive families to take care of adopted children. Pennsylvania adoption law even provides counseling for birth mothers, adoptive families, and...Read Full Story

Arkansas adoption law is very open, providing care and aid to birth mothers requiring financial, medical, or other assistance, as well as counseling from the first steps in placing a child for adoption, to the transition after the adoption is finalized. For adoptive families, it should be noted that adoption laws in Arkansas allow anyone to be adopted, but children over the age of 10 must provide consent to be placed with adoptive families. Arkansas adoption law also requires what is known as...Read Full Story

When adult adoptees speak critically of the institution of adoption or candidly share the negative aspects of our own experience of being adopted, we are sometimes labeled "angry." To many of us this comes across as dismissive. Amanda of Declassified Adoptee and the folks at Land of Gazillion Adoptees have teamed up to give adoptees a place to reclaim the "angry adoptee" label by focusing on the many legitimate reasons we have to be angry. Please visit the facebook page that they have created...Read Full Story

There are different types of adoption and there are different places where people can adopt children from. Every adoption has guidelines and a specific protocol. However, there are general rules for every adoption. There are requirements and restrictions when adopting a child, no matter which type of adoption is chosen or where the adopted child is from. The first general rule for adoption deals with the age of the adoptive parent or parents. Some adoptions state that the adoptive parents...Read Full Story

While there is no full proof method for finding your birth family, About.com Guide Kimberly Powell has done a nice job of breaking down the initial steps for searching. In the article “Adoption Search -Steps for Locating Adoptees, Birth Parents, and Adoption Records“, Powell offers seven steps to take once you decide to search. catlovers/Flickr.com The suggested search steps include: Write down everything you know, or ever heard about your adoption, birth family, and nationality. Nothing...Read Full Story

Recently,the St. Louis Post-Dispatch published an article titled, Illinois adoption records legislation fails amid abortion debate. The article discussed the failure of open records adoption legislation in Illinois. Since I recently  blogged on the success of the ‘ OBC (Original Birth Certificate) adoptee access law’ that passed in 2010 , the article was confusing, and as it turns out, a tad misleading. Sara Feigenholtz To assure that adoptees understand the status of records access in...Read Full Story