Deciding to put your child up for adoption is a tough and overwhelming decision, but one of the most selfless decisions a parent can make. If you are considering this option, the first thing you should know is that you are not alone. There are many other parents in the very spot you’re in right now.
While adoption isn’t an easy decision, the results of choosing adoption can be miraculous. You just need to realize that your choices can empower you and give you the strength to move forward. Our Washington family law attorneys are ready to walk with you and help you understand what you need to know if you’re considering placing your child for adoption in Washington.
Is Putting Up My Baby for Adoption the Best Option for Me?
This is a major decision you’ll have to make, and only you can understand whether it is the right one or not. Friends and family members may have their own personal opinions on what to do, but the truth is that this choice is exclusively yours.
Sometimes it’s best to speak to a neutral professional who can offer you advice and access to resources that can help you make this decision.
How Do I Place My Baby for Adoption in Washington State?
An adoption primarily has three main steps. It starts with deciding to put the baby up for adoption, it continues with developing an adoption plan and concludes with learning how to live life after placement is finalized.
Deciding to Place a Baby for Adoption
You may want to consider several factors if you’re thinking of giving up your child for adoption in Washington State. These include:
- Your home environment and resources available to raise the child
- Your ability to take care of yourself and the child, now and in the future
- Your relationships and support systems in your life
All these are factors you will need to think about carefully. You can always talk to an adoption counselor, attorneys and any pregnancy counseling available through churches, pregnancy centers, and other organizations.
Create an Adoption Plan
Once you know which firm you wish to work with, one of the adoption specialists in the Washington will help you create an adoption plan. This plan will contain preferences like the characteristics of the two prospective adoptive parents, the hospital plan if you’re still pregnant, and the type of post-placement relationship between you and the child.
Choose an Adoptive Family for Your Child
Yes, you can choose the adoptive family that will ultimately adopt your child since the goal of an adoption is to ensure that your child gets the best life possible.
You may want to consider where the adoptive parents live, their values and religious beliefs, and whether this family has plans to have more kids or would like to adopt a child. With the help of a skilled adoption attorney, you can ensure that you only get to pick thoroughly screened adoptive parents. The attorney can also help decide which adoptive family will be perfect for your child based on these background checks and the opportunities you may want your child to have.
Prepare for Placement and Adjust to Life After Adoption
While preparing for adoption, you will need your adoption attorney to sign your paperwork. You will also be creating a hospital plan if the child in question isn’t born yet.
After placement, some parents go into grief. Seek healing by getting resources that will help you adjust. Besides, talk to a professional who can guide you through every step.
What happens to a child that is given up for adoption?
A pregnant woman may choose to adopt her daughter and put her child into adoption, but her child isn’t going into foster care. When pregnant mothers choose adoption, they select families for the child and the state does not take the child from a loving family’s care.
How long after a baby is born can you give it up for adoption?
You may choose to adopt your newborn at the hospital. Adoption is also advisable at birth. Adopted children are available for adoption for several months or years after returning home.
Is it hard for the adoptive family to raise an adopted child?
For most of us, adoptive families with children don’t differ from biological children in many respects It’s important for children to communicate with one another and let them establish identification with themselves or their parents.
Who Needs to Consent to The Adoption in Washington?
In Washington, consent must be given before adoption occurs. These people can give consent:
- The birth mother
- The alleged birth father of the child
- The child’s legal guardian
- The adoptee (at least 14 years old)
This consent to adoption must be done in writing and filed with the court. An above 18-years-old witness chosen by the birth parents must be present when consent is given.
Is Consent Necessary in an Adoption?
The only time consent is not necessary is when the proposed adoption is in the best interests of the child if the birth parents or guardian has:
- Been found guilty of incest, or rape and the child was as a result of this
- Been found guilty of rape or incest
- Failed to perform basic parental duties
What Happens If I Change My Mind and Don’t Wish to Go Through with The Adoption?
Consent can be revoked by birth mom at any time before the adoption is approved by the court and up to one year after it is finalized. Consent can be revoked if it was acquired through fraud or coercion or a lack of mental capacity of the birth parent at that time to have made such a decision. Talk to a Washington adoption attorney if you did not give consent for the adoption, but it was carried out anyway.
Will My Biological Child Be Able to Find and Contact Me?
This will be up to you entirely, depending on the adoption plan you create with the help of your adoption agency and lawyer. Basically, there are three types of adoptions in Washington: open, semi-open, and closed adoption.
Open adoption is for those who wish to maintain a lifelong relationship with the adoptive parents and the child. Closed adoption is for those who want to keep this information private, while semi-open is for those who wish to receive regular updates and maybe pictures of their child without face-to-face visits.
What’s The Role of the Biological Fathers in The Adoption Process?
The presumed father will be recognized as the child’s birth parent and will have parental rights and say in the adoption process if:
- The two were married at the time of the child’s birth
- They were married, and the child was born within 300 days of their divorce
- He lived in the same house for two years of the child’s early life and acknowledged the child as his
But sometimes, the presumed father may decline to consent to the adoption. For this, you will have to speak to a Washington adoption attorney for advice and guidance on what to do.
Will I Receive Financial Assistance for Various Expenses?
A child comes with costs like medical bills, parental vitamins, transportation, maternity, missed work, etc.
Sometimes financial assistance from adoption agencies may be available for you. In Washington, you can request the adoptive parents to cater to the medical and legal costs.
Adoption Professionals Guiding and Advising Birth Parents
If you’re thinking about putting your child up for adoption, know that you are not alone. You have several people willing to walk this important journey with you.
Consult an experienced adoption lawyer in Washington before you make any decision. Our attorneys will make you understand all your options and address any concerns. Speak to the adoption attorneys if you’re in Walla Walla, Spokane, Bellevue, Olympia, Yakima or Richland for compassionate adoption professionals, and sound legal advice.
