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Adopting a child is an amazing opportunity for caring individuals to bring an orphaned child into a loving and safe home. However, the law does have certain requirements that each individual must meet before adopting a child. Of these requirements include a proof of income and ability to care for a child.
If you are looking to adopt a child, consult with an attorney to review the requirements to adopt a child in Chattanooga. Doing so could expedite your case by minimizing any room for error during the application process.
Prospective parents looking to adopt a child must prove that is in the best interest of the child. They have to show that they are financially able to provide for the child and ultimately, if it is not done by agreement, the court will have to decide all of those issues.
The party looking to adopt a child must be in a relationship and they must reside together. The court prefers that a married couple adopt a child, however, there is an ability for couples residing together to adopt a child. The requirement is not that they are married, but the courts do prefer that and that is the most common circumstance.
The court must determine that the parents are able to adopt the child and able to care for the child. This means that they will look at their mental and physical health just to make sure that they can keep up with the child and have the ability to do all the things that parents typically have to do.
The initial document that must be filed is a termination of parental rights and adoption petition, and there are certain requirements of that petition that is laid out in the Tennessee Code.
An agreement must also be made with the biological parent for the adoption to occur, the biological parent will be a co-petitioner on the petition and then the additional documents required depend on the circumstances of the case. If a person is unrelated to the child, oftentimes, the court will require a home study to be conducted and that the home study be filed with court, but this is not always the case.
In an appeal, the appellate court will look at the court transcript to see if there was any error in the decision of the judge. They will also look at all the exhibits submitted as well as the entire record of the case.
To appeal a case, the prospective parents will have to file a notice of appeal with both the trial court and the appellate court, and then eventually after certain requirements are met, their attorney write a brief to explain to the appellate court why they are appealing and what the grounds are for the appeal.
There are many requirements to adopt a child in Chattanooga. Some of these requirements include a study of your home, taking your relationship and financial status into account, and agreements with the biological parent if possible. Though some of these requirements are easy to meet, others may be more difficult to meet without the help of an attorney. If you require help and would like to review your options for adoption, be sure to schedule a consultation.