Ventura Foster Child Adoption Attorney

While foster parents in California are tasked with caring for children in their home, they are not typically expected to adopt the children in their care or become their permanent families. Many of the more than 50,000 children in foster care in California “age out” of the system without finding permanent families. Because of this, adopting a child out of foster care or adopting a foster child in your care can be an incredible way of becoming an adoptive parent and helping a child in need find a permanent home.

If you are considering adopting a child from foster care or fostering-to-adopt in California, contact the Ventura foster child adoption attorneys at the Law Offices of Bamieh and De Smeth. Our lawyers can file your case and work with the appropriate agencies to fight to get you the adoption you seek. For help with your case, call our lawyers today to set up a free legal consultation. Our number is (805) 643-5555.

Adopting a Child from Foster Care in Ventura, CA

Children can be adopted from foster care in two ways: either you adopt a child who is currently in the foster system in another household, or you adopt a child in your own foster care. Many children in foster care are especially in need of a permanent family, and adopting a child out of the system can be a wonderful gift both for your family and the child. Alternatively, many foster parents working in the system form a bond with their foster children and want to adopt them permanently. Our attorneys can help with either type of foster adoption.

If you are not a foster parent already, you will need to take a few steps to get approved to adopt a child from foster care. First, you will need to pass a homestudy and other investigations. This is common in most types of adoption, and county agencies will need to send investigators to your home to ensure that the conditions are safe and livable for an adoptive child. They may also require other background checks and investigations.

There are multiple options for working with these agencies to match with a potential child. In some cases, online databases can help you find a child to adopt from foster care, let you know if they have any siblings you may want to adopt alongside them, and tell you how to find more information about adopting. Your attorney can also help you through these processes.

If you seek to become a foster parent with the intention of taking a “foster-to-adopt” path, you will need licensing and approval at the beginning of the process. Foster parents must apply to get Resources Family Approval before they can become a foster parent in the first place. After that, you may need additional review before you can attempt to adopt your foster child. Once again, an attorney can help you with the process.

Hiring an Attorney for Foster Child Adoptions in California

Throughout the adoption process, there are multiple stages where your case could be rejected. In addition to these stages, there are far more stages where your case can be delayed or postponed. An experienced adoption attorney can help you work with the system and get your adoption completed as quickly as possible.

The bureaucratic process of working with state and county agencies can be quite slow. Scheduling a homestudy, completing investigations, or even simply getting agencies to return your call can add delays to your adoption case. For a child waiting to be adopted, these delays can take a very long time. Hiring an attorney to help with your case will mean your attorney is in your corner advocating for your case.

One of the most substantial issues in the process of foster child adoptions is that each county has its own foster agencies and adoption processes. These departments work in conjunction with statewide agencies, but each county makes its own rules and systems. This means you may need to work with multiple agencies, which can slow down the process, especially if you are adopting across county lines.

Our advocacy also includes helping to prove to government agencies and to the courts that you are a fit parent. Our attorneys can help you prepare for home visits and hearings to determine your fitness to adopt. This can be important, as there are many issues that new parents may not think would hurt their case in the homestudy and investigation process.

Many children in foster care have no connections with their families, but others are in foster care under the care of siblings, aunts, uncles, or other extended family. If they have a relationship with their family, adopting them might be more difficult if that family would like to keep its relationship or keep the status as foster parents. Our attorney can help you apply and secure your adoption, helping avoid or fighting any objections to the adoption.

Free Legal Consultations on Foster Child Adoption in Ventura, CA

If you are seeking to adopt a child from the foster care system in California or you want to become a foster parent and foster-to-adopt a child, contact the Law Offices of Bamieh and De Smeth today. Our lawyers can help to fight for you and your prospective child in your case, working to get you approved for adoption or foster parenting and fighting delays in your case. For a free legal consultation on your foster child adoption, call our Ventura foster child adoption lawyers today at (805) 643-5555.

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