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Choosing to surrender your parental rights can be an emotional and stressful process, but it is important to abide by the regulations to do so effectively for your sake and for your biological child’s. Fortunately, a skilled family attorney can help you navigate and understand the process regarding consent to adoption in Hamilton County, the implications of the decision, and more.
If you are considering surrendering your parental rights, contact a legal advocate today to begin.
Consent to adoption refers to when a parent voluntarily surrenders their parental rights, and it is typically done by that parent signing off on the original petition filed with the court. The parent who is surrendering their parental rights must be aware of the implications and finality of consenting to adoption in Hamilton County. Unless the parent comes to the court prior to the finalization of the adoption, their motion to surrender their parental rights cannot be changed.
By consenting, the biological parent makes the adoption process for the other family go much more quickly, putting less strain on everyone involved, especially the children.
Additionally, a child can be adopted without their birth parent’s consent under certain circumstances. The most common grounds are if the birth parent failed to visit and/or failed to financially support the child for at least four months. For an adoption to be approved after this occurs, a court also has to find that the adoption is in the best interest of the child.
Surrendering parental rights is typically done by signature. An attorney prepares the termination of parental rights and adoption petition and puts the required language in that petition to confirm the parents fully understand what they are doing. Once signed and notarized, the consent is then successfully given away. However, a Hamilton County parent may also consent to adoption in person, as long as it is in front of a judge.
Both of the biological or legal parents must consent, but if paternity cannot be established, there are no father’s rights to terminate. Further, if there is no known, or putative, father, the court can terminate the parent’s rights with only the mother’s consent.
The Putative Father Registry is a place where individuals who believe they have the potential of being a biological father of a child can give their information to be accessed. In cases of consenting to adoption, an attorney must consult that registry to confirm that there has not been a father who has claimed rights to the child. If there is a father listed, the mother and attorney must go through the process of finding them to terminate their rights, as well.
The adoption process is complicated for everyone involved, and there are strict regulations that must be followed correctly to be successful. By retaining a skilled attorney, the biological parent can confirm their termination of parental rights is drafted correctly and can understand the implications of the process.
If you are considering consenting to adoption in Hamilton County, call the firm today to discuss your case.