Advertisements
Advertisements
I know you have to go to court and have a judge approve of the finalization of your adoption, but I'm not really familiar with what actually happens in the hearing. Do you need to provide evidence that you have a good home? I feel like your home study would be sufficient for that. Under what circumstances would a judge rule not to finalize, and if that happens, does the child just become a ward of the state?
Advertisements
Actually, when you go to court, the adoption is a done deal. The home study proves you have a stable home for any kids you foster/adopt. In court, the judge just tell the prospective parents that the adoptive child is now like a biological child. He/she bangs the gavel and it's done.
The questions the judge asked were formalities already covered in the homestudy and post-placement updates (which he had read): where I lived, how were things going since the adoption, etc. He formally ascertained that I had not offered money or ongoing contact to entice the birth parents to sign surrenders. Then he banged the gavel and had the clerk take pictures of him with us, gave both of us a hug, wished us well, and we all went home. It took about 15 minutes, and because of some glitches causing us to not be able to finalize on the day we were supposed to, he fit us in early in the morning before the regular docket.