Adoption Subsidies for Adopting Foster Children The Washington State Adoption Support Program provides ongoing support to families who adopt foster children.  These are financial grants under an adoption support agreement which can include a monthly stipend payable over the minority of the child to the adoptive parents to assist with special expenses. Children [...]

How do I get a new Birth Certificate? Following the final decree of adoption, the new legal parent(s) will want to amend the birth certificate in the state in which the adoptee was born. They will want to obtain a re-registered birth certificate showing themselves as the new legal parents and the adoptees [...]

Open Adoption Agreements in Washington An open adoption is one in which the adoptive parents, the adoptee and the birth parents will have communication and/or contact after the adoption is completed.  Historically, many adoptions were “closed adoptions” in that the adoptive parents and the child-adoptee had no contact or communication with the birth [...]

Adoption with DSHS Consent | Foster Adopt Process and steps to complete adoption through DSHS placement and consent through the Law Office of Kathleen McCann Tell your DSHS adoption caseworker that Kathleen McCann will be representing you in finalizing the adoption. The caseworker will deliver to my office some of the needed paperwork [...]

Tax Credits for Adoption Expenses To take advantage of the adoption tax credit, I recommend that you consult with a tax professional to determine the extent of the tax credit available to you. The following are answers to common questions regarding tax credits and provides an overview but is not a substitute for [...]

Step Parent Adoption Step parent adoptions are adoptions where someone’s spouse adopts their child.  This type of adoption requires the consent of the spouse of the adopting step parent and usually also requires the termination of the parent-child relationship of the other parent. The most common step parent adoption is where a husband [...]

Foreign Re-Adoption Checklist of Steps to complete through the Law Office of Kathleen McCann for Foreign Re-Adoption Fill out the Adoption questionnaire and the attorney and paralegal will prepare drafts of the re-adoption documents for your review. After your review and revisions, where needed, —Client and attorney to sign.  Then we can file [...]

Termination of Parental Rights of Birth Parent Before a minor child can be adopted, that child must be “legally free” from the legal rights and the parental status of the birth parents.  Termination of parental rights can take place either voluntarily or involuntarily. Consent to Termination of Parental Rights Usually, private placement adoptions, [...]

Consent to Adoption Relinquishment and Consent to Adoption Relinquishment means consent in the adoption context.  The adoption statute has a procedure for parents to voluntarily relinquish (consent to) placing their children for adoption.   The petition to relinquish a child may be filed separately or filed as a consolidated petition (one document) joining the [...]

Birth Father's Rights in Adoption Birth Father’s Rights and Responsibilities If a birth father is unknown or is unwilling to sign a consent to adoption and termination of his parental rights, a summons and petition for the termination of his parental rights must be filed and notice given to terminate his rights on [...]

International Adoptions Re-adoption of children adopted in foreign countriesA re-adoption is the process of “re-adopting” a child in the United States after the child has been adopted in another country.  In Washington, a re-adoption is a request to the Washington Superior Court to formally recognize the validity of a foreign adoption decree and grant [...]