Are you a grandparent raising a grandchild? Did a family member die leaving you to care for her children? Are you caring for a relative’s children whose parents are incarcerated or suffering the perils of drug addiction?
There are a myriad of reason why children may end up in the care of a relative. It may start out as a temporary solution to a problem, but, as time and circumstances change, there is a need for permanence. Adoption offers security and stability for a child.
Under Georgia law, relative adoptions are adoptions by a child by certain relatives related by blood or marriage to the child, to wit: a grandparent, great-grandparent, aunt, uncle, great aunt, great uncle or sibling. A relative adoption is a more simplified process than non-relative adoption. The Superior Court hearing the case may waive certain home study requirements. Relative adoptions can proceed based on consent of the biological parents. In the event the biological parents do not consent or cannot be located, other grounds may be proven in order to proceed with the adoption (such as failure to support the child, failure to communicate with the child in a meaningful parental manner, abandonment, unfitness, etc.).
Debra Finch is an experienced adoption attorney who has represented many clients in the adoption of a relative’s child. She is also sensitive to the family dynamics at play in a relative or kinship adoption. She will work to obtain the necessary consents in a sensitive manner from the birth parents. In the event the matter becomes contested, Debra Finch is well equipped to represent you during that process in order to complete your adoption.
If you want to discuss grandparent adoption or relative adoption, please contact Debra Finch and schedule a phone conference or office consultation.
