National Adoption Awareness Month part 1: Adopted child custody

We’re still in the early part of National Adoption Awareness Month. If you haven’t read our previous article on the cause, we encourage you to check it out. We’ll give you a few minutes to read it.

Are you ready? Assuming you said yes, as we can’t read minds or see your response, we’ll move onto the topic of the day:  custody of an adopted child after divorce.

George Khoury, Esq. gives 3 legal tips on the adopted child custody situation. Khoury states: “adopting a child requires adoptive parents to assume all legal responsibility for the child in the same way that non-adoptive parents are legally responsible for their biological children”.

What this means is that an adoptive parent is treated in the same way that a non-adoptive parent is treated in a normal custody situation. It all comes down to legal responsibility and what’s in the best interest of the child, assuming the situation goes to court.

Adopted Child Custody Legal Tips:

The first tip is to obey the court’s order. Unless the child is in danger, it’s best that the parents of the child obey the order issued by the court. By disobeying this custody order, the other parent could attempt to go to court to modify/restrict your existing rights. Ignoring a visitation schedule is a perfect example of disobeying the court order.

The second tip is to not stop parenting. Just because you may not get to see your child as much, due to visitation limits or part-time custody, it doesn’t mean that you have to stop being involved in your child’s life. In fact, it’s highly encouraged to still attend school functions, parent-teacher conferences, doctor appointments, or any other obligation that’s important to the child and his or her best interest.

As Khoury states: “parents have the right to be informed, and involved”. Let’s say the other parent has a problem with you being involved in your child’s life through these events: one viable option is to have the court order modified to allow for the right to be involved and informed.

The third and final tip is to get legal help in your matter. Each state has different laws regarding child custody, adoption, and divorce. With a full-time job and an ongoing custody battle, or even dealing with a divorce process, the best bet is to hire an experienced family law attorney to be on your side and do the leg work for your case.

At Southern Oaks Law Firm, family law Attorney Taylor Fontenot specializes in divorce, child custody, child support, and adoption cases. He understands the need to listen and empathize, while providing practical legal advice and high quality representation. Contact Taylor today.