Category Archives: Adoption
Adopting a Foster Child in the State of Florida
In the United States, the number of children in foster care had been steadily declining. However, recently that number has begun to increase again. The majority of that increase, approximately 2/3 of the increase, has occurred in five states. The state of Florida is one of those states. An increase in substance abuse is… Read More »
Frequently Asked Questions About Adoption in the State of Florida?
In the state of Florida, adoption is governed by Florida statute Chapter 63. Who Can Adopt Pursuant to Florida Statute? Who may adopt a child in Florida is controlled by Florida statute 63.042. This includes the following people: An unmarried adult; A husband and wife together; or A married person without the other spouse… Read More »
What Is The Florida Putative Father Registry, And How Can It Affect My Child’s Pending Adoption?
What is the Florida Putative Father Registry? The Florida Putative Father Registry is a central state registry maintained within the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics. The purpose of the Florida Putative Father Registry is to allow a man, who believes he is the biological father of child who’s mother he is not married to,… Read More »
Step Parent Adoptions in Florida
Families come in all shapes and sizes these days, and it is not uncommon for a married couple to desire that both parents have legal rights and responsibilities for the children. Here are some examples of families who may wish to consider step parent adoption: A lesbian couple wherein one parent is the birth… Read More »
What’s Involved In A Home Study In Florida?
If you are thinking about an adoption in Florida, you will need to participate in a home study before you will be matched with any child. Based on the name, most people think of this as a home inspection. However, a home study is actually much more involved that simply inspecting the home. A… Read More »
Adoption Dilemma: The Relationship between Children and Their Birth Parents
There are many circumstances that can surround adoptions, from single parents who gave up their child for adoption, to a married couple, one of whom has to adopt the child after their wife underwent artificial insemination, to stepparent adoption, etc. But what happens as the child gets older, and starts asking questions about where… Read More »
Florida Same-Sex Couple Uses Adoption Process to Obtain Equal Child Custody Benefits
On July 11th, The Ledger featured a story highlighting a same-sex couple relying on the Florida state adoption process in order to ensure that both parents had equal custody rights with respect to their child. While this strikes many people as unfair–given that a heterosexual married couple does not require a father to do… Read More »
Cultivating LGBT Adoptions & Foster Parenting
On June 29th, NPR featured a story on the importance of educating families about LGBT child fostering and adoption. Perhaps surprisingly, out of the more than 400,000 U.S. children in foster care, there are a disproportionate number of LGBT kids, in part because it can be difficult to find placement (and thus facilitate eventual… Read More »
Florida Takes Steps to Facilitate International Adoptions
Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando, Florida just took huge steps in helping facilitate international adoptions by jump starting a program to help provide families with medical care before and after they adopt a child, with a focus on providing very specific care for children who are adopted from outside the United States. This will… Read More »
For Many Same-Sex Couples, Adoption Is Still More Difficult
Many same-sex couples have been hoping to adopt children for years, and recent decisions about the legality of same-sex marriage in the United States have left some hopeful. However, reports of adoption being especially difficult for same-sex couples have been circulating, indicating that discrimination in the field of adoption is, unfortunately, still alive and… Read More »
