November of each year is National Adoption Month, which is intended to encourage adoption and highlight the need for adoptive families. Families considering adoption may want to consult an experienced family law attorney to find out what is involved.
In recognition of National Adoption Month, an annual adoption day event was held in Camden County, New Jersey recently. One couple stood out at the Camden County event after adopting four children. The couple had already adopted a child eight years ago, when they adopted the daughter of the woman’s sister. Recently they adopted two of the sister’s sons as well. The couple had planned on adopting two more children from the sister, but the woman became well enough to regain custody of them.
Shortly after that, the state contacted the couple informing them about a 4-year-old girl and her 5-year-old brother who needed a home. While they did not have plans to adopt a child who was not related to them, when they met the two children their plans changed. The adoptions of the children, along with the adoptions of the sister’s two sons became final on the same day.
There are several ways to adopt a child. Two common forms of adoption are agency adoptions and relative adoptions. Adoption agencies are regulated by the state and can be public or private. Public adoption agencies typically work with children who are wards of the state, usually because they have been abandoned, orphaned or abused.
As seen in the story above, relative adoptions are also possible in some states. These types of adoptions occur when a child’s relative chooses to adopt the child. The process for relative adoptions is easier because the law favors relatives raising the children over people who are not related to the children.
Source: WPVI-TV, “NJ family adopts 4 children during Nat’l Adoption month,” Lisa Thomas-Laury, Nov. 16, 2012
