What does adoption look like in North Carolina?
In North Carolina, adoptions are special proceedings filed with the civil clerk’s office. The adopting party, known as the petitioner, files the Petition to Adopt in his or her county of residence. There are several different types of adoptions in North Carolina. Each adoption requires detailed documents and forms to be completed by the petitioner and the biological parents, or to be obtained from the clerk, and an attorney can assist you.
Can you adopt as a stepparent?
When a person wants to adopt a spouse’s biological children, he or she can pursue a stepparent adoption. Stepparent adoptions require the consent of the child’s other biological parent as well as the spouse of the petitioning stepparent.
What is independent adoption?
Independent adoptions are filed when one person or a couple desires to adopt a minor child who doesn’t have a close biological relationship. Independent adoptions require the consent of the biological parents. Depending on the relationship between the petitioning parents and the child, the petitioning parents might have to submit to an assessment by an appropriate third party agency.
Can you adopt a member of your family?
A parent can place a child for adoption with a grandparent, sibling, uncle, aunt, first cousin, great-aunt, great-uncle, or great-grandparent. This is a relative adoption. Depending on how long the child has lived with the petitioning adopting parent, the paperwork required might not be as extensive.
What is agency adoption?
There are also agency adoptions, in which an agency such as the county Department of Health and Human Services places the child in an adoptive home. These adoptions occur only with the biological parents’ consent or after a termination of parental rights.
Can you adopt someone over the age of 18?
North Carolina permits adult adoptions as well. An individual who is at least 18 years or older (or emancipated by law) may be adopted by another adult. Frequently these adoptions occur when a stepparent desires to adopt an adult child of his or her spouse. The notice and consent requirements are different for adult adoptions than those of minors.
Each family’s circumstances are different and adoption may or may not be the right choice for that child. Some factors to consider are whether the biological parents would consent, or if the petitioning adoptive parents would need to file a termination of parental rights action. Other considerations might be any Medicaid, SSI, or SSDI benefits the child receives, as well as future financial obligations for the petitioning adoptive parents.
Want to learn more?
Contact our office to learn more about the adoption process and whether this step is the right step for you and the child that you love.