Domestic adoption (or private domestic adoption) refers to the placement of infants born in the United States for adoption by their birth parent(s), who legally consent to the adoption with a parent(s) of their choosing.
Domestic adoption can occur through several ways:
Domestic adoption is the adoption of a child born in the United States by parents who are citizens of the United States. Typically, in the domestic adoption process, the birth mother chooses adoption for her baby and is matched with prospective parents who work with an adoption agency to create adoption profiles and complete other requirements. The birth mother then selects the parent(s) that she wants to adopt her baby.
This type of U.S. adoption works outside of the foster care system, which is why the domestic adoption of infants is also called domestic private adoption.
U.S. adoption through foster care is a way to grow your family while also meeting the serious needs of a waiting child. This process can happen in different ways, and the best way to get started is by contacting your local Department of Child Services.
In short, private adoption is a domestic adoption in which the prospective birth mother and hopeful adoptive parents work with a private adoption agency. Most of the time, “private adoption” is just another way of referring to U.S. domestic infant adoption.
The role of an adoption law attorney varies depending on the circumstance of the domestic adoption. You can adopt without the assistance of attorney; however, some chose to have the legal process including documents and court proceeds to be facilitate and lead by an experienced adoption lawyer. Our attorneys can also be retained to provide consultation and document review for parent(s) working through the legal aspects of domestic adoption on their own.
RELATIVE, STEPPARENT AND INDEPENDENT ADOPTION
There are several names for this type of United States adoption, but the most common are relative adoption, stepparent adoption, or independent adoption. These are cases when the parent already knows the child, or the prospective birth mother personally knows the parents she wants for her baby. In this type of U.S. adoption, one of our adoption attorneys can assist with the legal aspects of adoption proceeding.
