Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

I have had the honor of working on every type of adoption imaginable—DCS foster care, foster parent or welfare adoptions, stepparent grandparent, relative, kinship, infant or newborn, adult adoptions, international adoptions, second parent, and more.

I have been handling adoption law cases for over 30 years and I conservatively estimate that I have been a part of over 5,000 adoptions during that time.

There are a number of factors one should consider. First, how experienced is the lawyer? Second, does the lawyer belong to a professional organization, such as the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys? Third, look at reviews—Google and FaceBook—to see what previous clients of the attorney say. Fourth, are you able to communicate with the lawyer—does he or she answer their phone, promptly return your phone calls, and respond to your questions or concerns? Fifth, is the lawyer’s fee structure fair, reasonable, and clearly explained? And finally, does the lawyer exhibit a commitment to an ethical practice?

When children are removed from their home and parents due to abuse and/or neglect, the state agency responsible for the welfare of the children—in Indiana it is the Department of Child Services (DCS)—places the children with licensed foster parents or relatives (and sometimes kin).

Whenever DCS removes children from their home, the initial plan is reunification when services have been provided to birth parents and completed so that the children can return to a safe home. However, many times the children cannot be reunited with their biological parent(s). When this happens, the DCS petitions the court to terminate the parental rights and changes the permanency plan for the children from reunification to adoption. What often happens is that if a child has been placed with foster parents for an extended period of time, and DCS proceeds with the petition to terminate the parental rights, the foster parents and child develop a close bond, and the foster parents petition to adopt the child.

Learn more about foster care adoption.

In a traditional agency adoption, adopting parents sign a contract with a licensed agency and most aspects of the adoption, including being matched with a birth mother, is done by and through the licensed agency. Today, there are fewer traditional agency adoptions, but adoption agencies do have a role in every adoption.

In a private adoption, adopting parents work with several parties to complete their adoption. However, an adoption agency is not in charge—you are. You will consult with an attorney at the beginning of your adoption journey to understand your different choices and different ways to proceed. You will still need an adoption agency to complete your home study, but based on information provided by your attorney, you will be making decisions and taking actions to make your adoption happen.

A stepparent adoption is when a stepparent adopts his or her spouse’s child(ren) from a previous marriage or relationship. Probably the most important information to share about a stepparent adoption is that it is often possible in Indiana to complete an adoption without the consent of the noncustodial birth parent.

Relative adoptions are adoptions by blood relatives, such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, or siblings. Kinship adoptions are when the person(s) adopting are not related by blood, but have such a close relationship with the child that they are considered family.

Relative and kinship adoptions can be DCS or foster care adoptions, infant adoptions, or adoptions of older children needing a permanent home for any number of reasons.

An adult adoption is when someone adopts another person who is 18 years old or older. Every year I complete a number of adult adoptions. This process is quite easy and requires less paperwork than adoptions of minors.

As the name suggests, international adoption is when a child is adopted from a different country than where the adopting parent(s) live.