Adoption

questions & answers

Question: I have 2 step children by 2 different fathers. The father are not on the birth certifercate, but know about the children and chose not to be in there live how can I adopt them both.

Answer:

Adoptions can be a complicated process because of the number of possible people and the risks involved. You may want to contact a Family Law attorney to discuss how the adoption laws apply in your specific situation. The following is provided as general information about adoption in Arizona.

The Arizona Revised Statute, A.R.S. § 8-106, provides a meaningful description concerning the guidelines required to adopt a child. Overall, the court must determine that adoption is in the best interest of the child. In this section, it states that consent must be filed from the birth or adoptive mother as well as the child's father if (1) the father was married to the mother at the time of conception (unless another man’s paternity was established A.R.S. § 25 chapter 6, article 1), (2) the father adopted the child or (3) the father established paternity.  Additionally, other parties must consent to the adoption depending on the circumstances. You may want to review the statute to gather all of the information. A.R.S. § 8-107 discusses the timing of the consent and the contents of the consent.

Additionally, A.R.S. § 8-106(G) states that notice shall be served on each potential father. What the notice must contain is specified in the statute itself. A.R.S. § 8-106.01 contains information on the putative father registry. This registry is for people who are seking paternity and want to receive notice of adoption proceedings.