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Hi,
I have an old revision of the How to Adopt your Stepchild in California and I've been reading it, but I wonder if I should get the new one.
Also, the bio-father has been out of the picture for about three years, I went to court to get full custody and he didn't show, so I was granted custsody. Does this mean that I can move forward with the adoption without his consent?
I haven't started the adoption process yet, but I'm not sure which type of adoption I should use, whether its abandonment of failure to support. Here's the background:
He hasn't seen us for about three years, has never made a child support payment which was mandated by the court. I have no idea where he is, but I do have a feeling about where his mother is. What type of adoption do you recommend in my case?
Also, I have a fear of using my home address on the adoption form because he can come and kidnap my little girl, probably unlikely, but I do fear that. Will the court let me use a PO box?
Thanks,
Diana :confused:
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O.K. first of all are you married? If so, have you and your husband been married for at least two years? California passed a law in 2001 that for a step parent adoption you must be married for at least two years.
If you try to adopt and go the Abondonment route, you MUST provide proof that you the bio father has had NO contact with the child for at least one year. Which shouldn't be hard to do, seeing how you won full custody of your child due to a no show dad. If you know a way to find him GO that route, it is much better to have a signed paper by him giving up rights to the child because that is ABSOLUTE, it cannot be changed, it is about 4 pages of him saying This is a hard choice, but it's the best choice, I know what I am doing this is all within my will, and so on, he can never come back and say he didn't know what was going on, that he didn't understand and try to have the adoption reversed. He can actually go to a lawyer and have this paper work drawn up himself and all you have to do is sign it, it stops all future child support, but be careful, if you want back child support you will need to have this stipulated in the decree for TERMINATION OF PARENT CHILD RELATIONSHIP. if you have any other you can email me(I AM NOT AN ATTONERY I JUST WENT THROUGH THIS) I really think this would be the best route to go, and IF he doesn't want to sign over rights(which is really doubtful) make a call to the attonerny general and sue for back child support, ( it's being a *****, but I doubt he will not want to sign over rights to being with)
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