Adoption is one of the most wonderful experiences for a family. It enables a family to add a new member while simultaneously helping a person who needs a loving environment. Children need adoptive families for a variety of reasons—some are abandoned by their parents while others need protection from abusive situations. Similarly, there are a variety of ways to adopt an new individual into your family.

Agency Adoptions

Children from a public agency are usually considered to be wards of the state. A child in a public agency is usually given up at birth, abandoned, or taken by state officials because of abuse or addiction. Families adopting through a public agency will likely be helped by a charity or social service company.

Independent Adoptions

Independent adoptions are a great option for parents who do not want to go through a public agency for adoption. This type of adoption is typically arranged ahead of time between the biological and adoptive parents. An attorney’s assistance is needed for this process, so a proper contract is drafted. Though they are not public adoptions, state agencies still closely monitor independent adoptions. If adoptive parents agree to give biological parents some contact with the child or regular updates, the adoption is referred to as an open adoption.

International Adoption

International adoptions receive a significant amount of press because of certain celebrities who choose to go through this process. However, international adoptions are usually a more complicated process than domestic ones. International adoptions provide a variety of legal issues with the country of a child’s origin as well as with the United States government. Like independent adoptions, an international adoption benefits significantly from the assistance of an attorney.

Stepparent Adoption

After a parent remarries, it is possible that a stepparent will develop a strong bond with their spouse’s child or children. This strong bond may lead to a desire to adopt the child as their own. Besides being emotionally rewarding, adopting a stepchild provides legal benefits such as giving the adoptive parent custody if the other dies, the authority to make medical decisions, and other important life-changing events. If the other parent is still alive, they will need to provide consent for the adoption.