Adoption Intervention
Parents Facing Termination of Parental Rights as the Result of a Dependency Case
Life is filled with unexpected obstacles and challenges that can make being a parent difficult. Every parent wants what is best for his or her child–even if that parent is not presently able to provide for the child in the way he or she would like. If the government becomes aware of circumstances that lead them to believe that a parent has abused, abandoned, or neglected a child, , then the government may intercede on the child’s behalf by opening a dependency case on the child under Chapter 39, Florida Statutes. The child’s best interest governs the steps that the court takes in the dependency case. Many times, the court determines that the child should be removed from the parent’s home and placed into foster care. Sometimes, the court will determine that it is in the child’s best interests to reunify the child with the parents after providing the parents and the child with appropriate services. Other times, the government will deem that it is in the child’s best interests to terminate the parents’ parental rights so that the child can be adopted by another family.
If a child is in foster care and the parent is facing termination of parental rights, the parent may understandably feel helpless, upset, and powerless. What many parents do not know is that, through a process called adoption intervention, parents do still have some power to choose what happens to their child.
What is an Adoption Intervention?
At any time before the dependency court terminates the parent’s parental rights, the parent can choose private adoption for the child through a process called intervention, which is described in Section 63.082(6), Florida Statutes. If a parent chooses private adoption, then the parent would execute a document called a consent to adoption, which would give the private adoption attorney or agency authority to intervene in the dependency case to request that the parent’s wishes that the child is adopted be honored. If the dependency court determines that a change in placement is in the child’s best interests, then the court will authorize adoption and termination of parental rights proceedings for the child under Chapter 63, Florida Statutes, permitting the child to be adopted by the adoptive family chosen by the birth parent.
The Benefits of an Adoption Intervention
By choosing private adoption when a dependency case is already open on the child, a parent has the ability to take the child out of foster care and select a permanent, loving home for the child, meet the adoptive parents, and receive a photo and letter updates of the child. This is a huge benefit to the parent and the child: it gives the parent the ability to make a loving decision about the permanent placement of the child, as opposed to leaving it up to the dependency court; and it gives the child the stability of being in a permanent, loving home as opposed to being bounced around from one foster placement to another.
Private Adoption with Glass Law Office
Lisa Paige Glass will happily work with parents who may be facing TPR (termination of parental rights) and are looking to placing their child through private adoption. Lisa will work closely with the birth parents to understand what they are looking for in adoptive parents and will not judge the birth parents based on their circumstances. Some cases may involve the birth parent giving up their parental rights in order for a family member or friend to adopt the child. Other situations call for reaching out to Glass Law Office’s network of potential adoptive parents to find a family excited to take in an older child. Regardless of the specific situation, Glass Law Office will work hard to procure the best possible outcome for all parties involved.
For parents whose child or children have been removed from the home by the state, adoption intervention is an option. Lisa Paige Glass, Esq., would be happy to speak with you about your rights and your options if your child is in foster care or you are potentially facing the termination of your parental rights. Contact our office to learn more.