Do You Need The Assistance Of An Adoption Attorney Or An Adoption Agency?
Choosing between an agency and a private entity is a hard decision to make if you are thinking of adopting a child. A wise decision can only be made when you have enough information to make a proper analysis. Adopting a child is a life-changing experience for any family. Apart from ensuring that the adopted child feels comfortable and happy with his or her new family, there is also the matter of the legal paperwork to deal with. It is important to remember that adoption is a legal process. Without legal documentation, the adopted child cannot be considered by law as part of the adoptive family. There are prescribed steps when it comes to filing the necessary documents and going through court proceedings. It is easy for people to confuse an adoption attorney with an adoption agency. But, there are clear differences that you should know before you make the choice. They are not one and the same and one certainly has an advantage over the other. 
Adoption Agencies
These agencies provide services that match parents who want to adopt with children who need homes and families. If the adoptive parents are not adopting a child through State foster care or adopting an identified child, such as a relation or one born to a friend or acquaintance, then an adoption agency is likely the route to take. The range of services is extensive – from pre-counseling an expectant mother who wishes to give up her baby after childbirth to helping adopted children connect with their biological parents should they wish to do so when they reach adulthood.Here’s what you can expect when you select an adoption agency:
- Counseling Support throughout the adoption process – adoption agencies are staffed with family counselors, psychologists, and social workers who can counsel birth parents, adoptive couples and their immediate family members, and children under their care. Counseling support services are often available right before matching a child to a family and extend to after the child has settled in with his adoptive parents and siblings.
- Biological Information about the child – the adoption agency keeps records of all biological information about the child, including his birth parents and his medical records. This information is often essential when it comes to serious illnesses and injuries. In some instances, the adopted child would also want to trace his roots and find out who his real parents are.
- Administrative Support in compiling and filing all necessary documents to make the adoption legal – parents who want to adopt their own child will have to be ready with a number of documents that indicate their capacity to raise a child. These include identification certifications, financial records, and other legal documents that pertain to previous changes in marital and family status.
Strong, Seasoned Adoption Attorney
An experienced adoption attorney will do a variety of types of adoptions, including adoptions of children in foster care and independent adoptions, step-parent adoptions, and grandparent or relative adoptions. Adoption agencies have their place, but not when it comes to these adoptions.Here’s what you can expect from an adoption attorney:
Expert Legal Advice from start to finish – you do not have to ‘grope in the dark’ or scrounge around for answers to your questions when you already have an adoption attorney to consult with. You are less likely to be misinformed and consequently make the wrong decisions. These mistakes can set you back in terms of time and money.- Timely Processing – there are legal steps that need to be taken in the right order. For instance, there needs to be a court ruling on the Termination of Parental Rights to emancipate the child so you can adopt him. There are also prescription periods that will have to be observed, such as the time period within which a child should be adopted from foster care, the grace period allowed for birth parents to appeal their case, the deadline for birth parents to revoke their consent to adopt.
- Better Understanding and Application of state adoption and child welfare laws – there are variations in adoption laws from one state to another. When you have an adoption attorney like Robert A. Dodell, Attorney At Law, you can be sure that every step that you take towards legally adopting a child will be the right one.
The blog post Adoption Attorney Vs An Adoption Agency was originally published to AzCrimLaw.com - Robert Dodell
Robert A Dodell, Defense Lawyer
10601 N Hayden Rd, #I-103
Scottsdale, AZ 85260
(480) 860-4321
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