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National Adoption Day, celebrated in November, is a collective effort to raise awareness about the thousands of children in foster care who are waiting for a permanent family. It’s a day that brings families, courts, and advocates together to finalize adoptions and celebrate the joy that adoption brings to both children and parents. According to our Lincoln, NE adoption lawyer, many families choose to finalize their adoptions on this day as part of the national movement to ensure every child has a loving home.
This special day occurs the Saturday before Thanksgiving each year. Local celebrations in Nebraska cities often occur throughout November. Lancaster County Juvenile Court is celebrating Adoption Day November 16, 2024. GordenLaw is proud to have been a part of several adoption stories over the past 13 years with our BBB A+ rating thanks to satisfied customers.
As this holiday approaches, it’s an excellent time to reflect on the importance of adoption and the legal processes involved. Adoption can be a wonderful choice to grow a family and provide loving support and permanency for children needing the same.
At its core, adoption is when adults take on all the rights and responsibilities for a child just as if they had biologically created or given birth to that child. Adoption can occur through a private arrangement between birthparents and adoptive ones who may or may not be related to the child, or through an agency. Step-parents legally married to a birthparent sometimes adopt. Foster parents may adopt children who are state wards and whose birthparents are unable to reunify with their children.
An Overview Of The Adoption Process
While the specifics can vary based on the type of adoption, all adoptions in Nebraska follow certain legal procedures designed to protect the interests of the child, birth parents, and adoptive parents alike.
- Home Study: Non-step-parent prospective adoptive parents must undergo a home study to evaluate their suitability for adoption. This process involves background checks, interviews, and home visits by a licensed social worker to ensure that the home is safe and stable for the child.
- Ending Birth Parents’ Rights: In order for an adoption to move forward, the birth parents’ legal rights must be relinquished voluntarily or terminated by a court order. Generally, a birth parent must be unable or unwilling to provide for their natural child’s needs. Most states do not allow a birthparent to unilaterally decide not to provide financial or emotional support for their child and relinquish rights unless there are very specific statutory requirements met. Sometimes a Guardian ad Litem (GAL) is appointed to help a Court determine what is in the child/ren’s best interests when adoption is being requested.
- Court Proceedings: Adoption in most states is finalized through a court hearing where a judge will review the case, ensuring that all legal requirements have been met and that the adoption is in the best interests of the child.
- Post-Adoption Services: Many families continue to receive support through post-adoption services, including counseling and support groups, to help the family navigate the transition and ongoing challenges of adoption.
Supporting Adoptive Families
If you are interested in some ways to support adoptive families in your community, please consider the following:
- Follow The Family’s Cues When Speaking About Adoption: Every child and family’s situation is unique. Some families are very open about the adoption and others seek to have privacy around this issue. Be sensitive to the loss that children may be experiencing even when they are excited and happy about finding their forever home.
- Be Compassionate About Adjustment: Be aware that it can be difficult to grow your family by adoption – at times, more like piecing together a puzzle than growing a flower from seed. Give grace to parents and children who are going through this adjustment.
- Offer Support: Be willing to babysit. Bring a meal. Invite the family to join your family in activities. Learn about adoption and consider giving financially or volunteering with organizations that support adoptive parents and adopted children such as Right Turn Nebraska, Nebraska Children’s Home Society, and the Nebraska Foster and Adoptive Parents Association.
At our firm, we’re proud to support families through the adoption process. Whether you are considering a private adoption, step-parent adoption, or foster care adoption, our experienced family law attorneys are here to guide you every step of the way. As National Adoption Day approaches, let’s celebrate the beauty of adoption and the life-changing impact it has on children and families and our community!
If you have questions about adoption or any family law matter in Nebraska, contact GordenLaw, LLC — rated the best family lawyers in Lincoln in 2024, we’re here to help with your family law journey!
