Houston Adoption Lawyer
Adoption Lawyer Houston
Finding a child to provide with a loving and nurturing home should be considerably easy especially when you consider the significant number of children in institutional care. But the process of adopting a child in Houston can be complex without the help of a Houston adoption lawyer. There are many requirements you need to meet and documentation that you have to provide before your adoption process is finalized. A skilled and experienced Houston adoption lawyer can not only help you handle the initial paperwork but also ensure that you comply with Hague rules on adoption.
Procedures For Adoption in Texas
You have to go through processes such as termination of parental rights, petitions and more before the adoption is finalized. An individual that wants to adopt has to provide information about their background and lifestyle. The following are the adoption procedures in Texas:
- Home visits with all family members present
- Criminal background checks
- Review of documentation proving that the family seeking to adopt is financially stable
- Collecting references from relative s and non-relatives
- Neglect and abuse background checks
Home visits involve a home study professional touring your home to ensure that your home is a safe and stable environment for a child. In fact, the social worker inspecting your home may actually point out any safety hazards you need to fix before placement occurs. As long as your home is safe for the child, you have no reason to dread a home visit.
Criminal Background Checks For Adoption
Fingerprint-based criminal background checks will be carried out for every member of your family as long as they are age 14 or older. Some of the misdemeanors or felony offenses that may cause approval to be denied include:
- Stalking
- Robbery
- Criminal solicitation of a minor
- Public indecency
- Intoxication and alcoholic beverage offenses
A person may also be denied if the child abuse central registry reveals that the person has been accused child abuse or neglect , including emotional abuse, physical neglect, sexual abuse, medical neglect, and neglectful supervision.
Why You Need An Experienced Lawyer
A Houston adoption lawyer that has extensive experience dealing with adoptions is more likely to pay attention to the small details and can work to prevent unexpected roadblocks. Your lawyer can handle all the legal aspects of your case whether you are adopting through an agency or are adopting a relative. With a lawyer you can avoid the legal pitfalls that could result in you spending a lot of money because of delays. A Houston adoption lawyer can help you with following types of adoptions:
- Infant adoption
- Stepparent adoption
- Foster child adoption
- Relative adoption
- Same-sex adoption
- International adoption
- State adoption (interstate)
An Effective Adoption Strategy
Your Houston adoption lawyer can help your compare the pros and cons of private adoptions versus agency adoption. The lawyer will then evaluate your situation and help you create a strategy that specifically works for you. Your lawyer will also offer guidance during the home study stage of your adoption process.