What is an Adoption Home Study For?
In adoptions that are not "in family" adoptions such as step-parent or grandparent adoptions, South Carolina law requires that an adoption home study be completed. Two, in fact: a pre-placement home study and a post-placement study. But why?The pre-placement study is a a report that documents your home life. It is pretty intensive and digs into all areas of your family life: criminal background checks, child abuse registry searches, family finances, health, references, birth certificates. For example, this is not just looking to make sure you are married. It wants to know how your marriage is. Are there issues in your family that need dealing with? Does your extended family support your choice to adopt? What is your motivation to adopt?The ultimate goal is to make sure your family is ready for an adoptive placement and that it will be a healthy place for this child joining your family.The post placement study is a visit in your home with your family and the child to check on how things are going. There may be one post placement visit or multiples depending on the agency requirements.
What are the steps for a Grandparent Adoption
Are you a grandparent who has taken custody of your grandchildren? You've taken on a roll that is extremely important to your grandchildren, but just having legal custody is sometimes not the permanence the child deserves.
Grandparent adoptions are really no different to any other adoption. The primary exception is that you already have a biological relationship to the adoptee. So where do we start?Private adoptions and agency adoptions require a home study to be performed prior to and after placement of the child for adoption. In South Carolina, in-family adoptions (including grandparent adoptions) are not required to have pre and post-placement home studies.The next step is to obtain consents and relinquishments necessary from the birth parents to allow the adoption. Often times birth parents in these situations will realize it serves the best interests of their children for the grandparents to be able to adopt the children and they will voluntarily sign a consent to the adoption. This form has to be executed by special witnesses and be on a form that meets state statutory requirements.Sometimes it isn't as easy as scheduling an appointment for the birth parents to sign a consent to the adoption. Perhaps they do not agree with the adoption. Other times their whereabouts are just unknown and they can't be located to consent to the adoption. When that happens in a grandparent adoption case, we will have to file to terminate the parental rights of the birth parents. South Carolina law gives us a dozen grounds for termination of parental rights to consider in your case.Once both birth parents rights have been relinquished through consent or terminated through a court action, then we are ready to proceed to the conclusion of the legal adoption with a hearing in the Family Court.Do you have questions about grandparent adoptions in South Carolina? Call Tripp at 864-558-0512 or use the form below to schedule a consultation to discuss your case.[contact-form-7 id="357" title="Contact form 1"]