At the core of every adoption or ART arrangement is the law. Legal agreements establish expectations, define parental rights, and create enforceable protections for everyone involved.
Unlike some areas of law that are governed federally, family building through adoption and assisted reproductive technology is primarily regulated at the state level.
Adoptions come in all shapes and sizes. No matter if this is private, agency, stepparent, second parent (LGBTQ+), Department of Child Safety (State), kinship, foster parent or foster care, Interstate Compact on the Placement of Child (ICPC), international or domestic, surrogacy-based, or open or closed adoption – our office handles them similarly.
Termination of parental rights (TPR) is a legal process that severs the legal relationship between a parent and their child, thereby freeing the child for adoption. In Arizona, as in many states, TPR is a significant legal proceeding governed by strict guidelines designed to protect the best interests of the child.
There are times when a second parent must adopt to obtain legal rights of their own child.
A question that is often asked is about the cost of adoption. Adoptions range from no expenses to $100,000s. Seems extreme, right?
In our firm’s experience, Arizona DCS has allowed increased Indian tribal participation in child welfare cases (dependency, severance, termination, adoption). Our firm has observed, in several cases, that Arizona seems to allow even greater tribal participation than federal law would require.
In most adoptions, the prospective adoptive parent has the option to keep the adoption open. An open adoption allows communication after the adoption.
The Adoption Subsidy Program is available to children with special needs.
The adoption process is faster than most court cases…
Foster parents do not require formal certification to adopt a foster child, as their licensing meets this requirement.
In Arizona a stepparent can adopt their spouse’s child. This can provide permanency to a child who does not have a relationship with their other biological parent and many times has never had a relationship with the other parent.
