An identified adoption, also sometimes called a designated adoption, is an adoption of a child already known to the adoptive parents. This may be a baby expected by an expectant mom who has chosen the adoptive parents, the child of a friend of the family who needs a safe and stable living situation, or an arrangement between a birth mom and would-be adoptive parents who publicly searched for a child to adopt. The “identified” part means that a child has already been identified by the parents. The would-be adoptive parents then work with an adoption attorney to complete the legal process.
A different kind of adoption might be a couple who decide to grow their family through adoption and go to an adoption agency to find a child in need of adoption. This is not an identified adoption because the child has not yet been identified.
Is it just a private adoption?
An identified adoption usually is a private adoption — that is, an adoption arranged between individuals without the involvement of an adoption agency. Adoption agencies often provide matching services, which help people interested in adoption to find a child to adopt. These services are not needed in an identified adoption.
Because the matching services are not needed, an identified adoption can be less costly than an agency adoption. The legal process, including home study, petition to adopt, consent documents, and court appearances, is the same in both cases. Adoption agencies often provide help and support with the other requirements, but specialty adoption lawyers like Heimer Law are needed for all adoptions. An identified adoption can be completed with only an adoption attorney, not an adoption agency.
A private adoption may not be an identified adoption. Sometimes an adoption professional (an attorney or other expert) helps with the task of finding a child for a couple seeking to grow their family.
Next steps for an identified adoption
Let’s say that you are a couple with a family friend who recognizes that her living situation is not a good one for her child. With great love and courage, she asks if you would consider adopting her child so that he can have a safe and stable home. You lovingly agree. Now what?
The essential step is to call an adoption attorney. Casual arrangements leave everyone involved open to legal and practical problems in the future. For the safety of yourself, the child, and the birth parents, it’s essential that you go through the legal process of adoption.
And for any legal process, you need a lawyer. Heimer Law specializes in adoption, so send us a query and we’ll help you get started.
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