Here are five basic steps you will need to complete for a successful adoption:
1) Identify the Child. There are several ways a child may be identified for adoption, ranging from agency-assisted identification to friend-of-a-friend or relative or even by virtue of marriage.
2) Placement. It is important that you NOT accept a child into your home without appropriate consent. This often requires the completion of a “pre-placement application”, a home study and a hearing before the Probate Court.
3) Timing. Although a petition for adoption may be filed prior to the required placement time, an adoption cannot be finalized until the child has lived in the home for at least six months.
4) Filing. Consult with your attorney to assist with information gathering, consent issues, document preparation and post-adoption matters.
5) Finalization. The Court will set a date and time (almost always a Tuesday) to consider the petition, issues related to consent, and what would be in the best interest of the child. If everything is in order, the adoption will be finalized, a certificate of adoption will be issued and an application for a new birth certificate will be forwarded to the State of Ohio Department of Vital Statistics.
