| Subject | Date Asked |
|
| Appealing a decision made by the PA Interstate Compact office | 8/18/2008 |
Q: I am the foster parent to a child from another state who has been here with me in Pennsylvania for 1 ...
A: Since I was previously a state Interstate Compact Director, I believe it is likely that the worker ...
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| Adoption of my grandson | 8/4/2008 |
Q: My son committed suicide in January '08. His girlfriend was pregnant at the time and gave birth to ...
A: If a name is put on the birth certificate, it should be the name of your deceased son. If your son ...
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| Adoption costs | 7/23/2008 |
Q: My Ex girlfriends husband wants to adopt my 6 year old daughter. I have been paying child support ...
A: Mike- There are several costs involved in such an adoption: 1. The charges of the lawyer who ...
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| Adoption costs | 7/22/2008 |
Q: My Ex girlfriends husband wants to adopt my 6 year old daughter. I have been paying child support ...
A: When you consent to the child being adopted, (it is also called relinquishing your paternal ...
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| My daughter's natural father was never told | 6/6/2008 |
Q: I have made a huge mistake. I allowed my (ex-felon) husband to adopt my daughter nine years ago in a ...
A: I'm not a lawyer, but I think the fact that you withheld information regarding your daughter's ...
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| my boyfriend adopting | 6/3/2008 |
Q: i have 4 kids and the youngest is by my current boyfriend. We have been talking about letting him ...
A: Sometimes grandparents or aunts or uncles will be able to get payments if they adopt a child in the ...
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| Grandparents rights | 6/3/2008 |
Q: I adopted a foster child and now five years later she is pregnant and wants my husband and I to ...
A: I am not a lawyer, so you should discuss this whole matter with a local lawyer who does adoption ...
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| my newphews | 5/29/2008 |
Q: my boyfriend sister has been having trouble with DHS and i want to know if his sister can give ...
A: Are there other family members who are older and who have experience in raising children, who could ...
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| my newphews | 5/28/2008 |
Q: my boyfriend sister has been having trouble with DHS and i want to know if his sister can give ...
A: Due to your ages, not being married and lack of parenting experience, I think it is unlikely that a ...
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| My husband wants to adopt my 19 yr old son | 5/22/2008 |
Q: I becam a mother when I was 16 yrs old. and my son Jesse was born out of wedlock - his father has ...
A: At this point in your son's life, an adoption by his step-father will be more of a symbolic thing ...
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| adopting from friend | 5/19/2008 |
Q: We have a family friend who wants us to adopt her child when it's born. Can the father terminate his ...
A: I have done all my adoption work in NYS and so I can't tell you about Texas adoption law or ...
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| Adoption of 17 year old by father who raised him | 5/13/2008 |
Q: Winkler, My son is 17 and has been raised by my husband since he was 2 months old. My son's ...
A: Since adoption laws vary from state to state, I would recommend that you meet with a lawyer in your ...
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| Adoption of 18 year ols | 5/8/2008 |
Q: Peter - My wife and I took in my niece in 2000 when she was 11. We filed and were granted sole ...
A: Yes, the laws differ from state to state. It may be possible to adopt a young person who is 18 in ...
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| have legal gaurdianship-want to adopt | 5/4/2008 |
Q: I have had my 4 year old niece since she was 13 months old.DHHR was going to terminate my sister's ...
A: You have asked a lot of questions and it is hard to answer them all My overall advice is that you ...
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| boyfriend adopting my daughter | 4/29/2008 |
Q: I live in California, i want to know what i have to do to have my boyfriend adopt my daughter. The ...
A: You need a lawyer to adopt a child in most states. Courts usually expect you to be married before ...
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| resending parental rights post adoption | 4/11/2008 |
Q: Mr. Winkler, How do I go about resending our parental rights post adoption two years. We got her ...
A: I believe the legal term for what you want to do is to "abrogate" the adoption. However, it seems ...
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| A question | 3/19/2008 |
Q: I was wondering if you could help me. I have a nine month old baby girl who got taken from me from ...
A: Your questions can be answered a lot better by a lawyer. The first thing the lawyer will ask about ...
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| fostering my nephew from va | 3/19/2008 |
Q: I live in Ohio. My nephew, who has been in his grandfathers care, lives in Virginia. Yesterday, his ...
A: What you should do is to contact the local child welfare agency that handles foster care placements ...
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| Can my boyfriend adopt my child? | 3/13/2008 |
Q: we're from Florida. my child is 9 yrs old, the biological father is not in the birth certificate, in ...
A: In order to get an accurate answer to your question, you would need to contact a local lawyer who ...
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| Adoption | 2/27/2008 |
Q: Unfortunate not all parents get along and some do not make it easy to see your child, even when your ...
A: I really can't give you an estimate of how long it will take for the adoption to go through. It is ...
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| Adoption | 2/27/2008 |
Q: Unfortunate not all parents get along and some do not make it easy to see your child, even when your ...
A: Since I am not a lawyer and laws regarding termination of parental rights differ from state to ...
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| collecting adoption subsidy | 2/22/2008 |
Q: who or where can i report it if my X adopted mother is collecting sipends even when another family ...
A: The law and practice concerning adoption subsidy are subject to interpretation. It is possible that ...
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| Foster care queastion | 2/20/2008 |
Q: My five year old sister was recently taken into custody in KS based on allegations from HER (we ...
A: You are presenting a very complicated situation and I hesitate to give more than general advice. ...
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| Adopting my niece | 2/16/2008 |
Q: I have had temporary custody of my niece since she was 4 months old. She is now 2yrs old. She ...
A: If the father has not been living with the child or provided financial support, it is highly ...
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| Adoption tax credit | 1/31/2008 |
Q: My question is whether or not I can take a credit on the expenses that I have already acrued in my ...
A: However, you should go to irs.gov and look up the bulletin on the Adoption Tax Credit. That site ...
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| Clearances for Interstate Compact | 1/31/2008 |
Q: The child I would like to foster to adopt (once parental rights are terminated) is from PA. I live ...
A: gov. You can get reimbursed up to about $11,000 total based on any expenses related to adopting the ...
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| Clearances for Interstate Compact | 1/30/2008 |
Q: The child I would like to foster to adopt (once parental rights are terminated) is from PA. I live ...
A: the people in the NYS Compact office are correct in insisting that you have the clearances done in ...
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| adopt, custody, guardianship??? | 1/28/2008 |
Q: ok here it goes. my ex fiancee has a two year old daughter that I have been in her life before birth ...
A: Chris- Based on what you indicated, there is nothing that can be done to force your ex-fiancee to be ...
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| adopt, custody, guardianship??? | 1/28/2008 |
Q: ok here it goes. my ex fiancee has a two year old daughter that I have been in her life before birth ...
A: it is highly unlikely that you would have a chance of gaining any custody of the child in this case. ...
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| How can we help our nephew? | 1/28/2008 |
Q: My husbands sister had a baby in Nevada a couple of weeks ago and my husband was called and asked if ...
A: I am glad that you are trying to find a good home for your sister-in-law's baby. I would strongly ...
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| Adopting a child current under guardianship | 1/24/2008 |
Q: I recently accepted guardianship of a child because DHS became involved and removed the child from ...
A: I'm not in a position to fully answer your question, but I would make the following observations and ...
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| Can a 19 year old F-1 visa student be adopted? | 1/15/2008 |
Q: My husband and I are now legal American citizens.(GA state)Our niece, who is a 19 year-old F-1 visa ...
A: I can't answer your question completely because laws on adoption differ from state to state. I ...
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| LEFT OUT | 1/9/2008 |
Q: I HAVE A FOUR-YEAR OLD DAUGHTER, WHO HAS BEEN RAISED BY MY HUSBAND SINCE SHE WAS A YEAR OLD, SHE HAS ...
A: but I don't really see a reason for filing for sole custody in your situation. Changing the last ...
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| LEFT OUT | 1/8/2008 |
Q: I HAVE A FOUR-YEAR OLD DAUGHTER, WHO HAS BEEN RAISED BY MY HUSBAND SINCE SHE WAS A YEAR OLD, SHE HAS ...
A: He might be willing to voluntarily terminate his parental rights if he realizes that will also ...
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| My son was adopted by his Grandmother | 1/2/2008 |
Q: I raised my son from the time that he was born until he was 8 years old, after that I had a lot of ...
A: It is good to know that you have made positive changes in your life and that you have strong ...
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| Adoption | 12/28/2007 |
Q: I would like to know the steps on how my husband can adopt my daughter. Her biological father has ...
A: Adoption laws and procedures vary by state, but in general, these are the steps. -Identify a ...
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| How short can the adoption process be? | 12/4/2007 |
Q: I'm looking at adopting a child from a family member who has run into troubles with CPS and is ...
A: it would be good to identify a local attorney with experience doing adoptions in order to ask these ...
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| Can DHS really adopt my nephew to my brothers ex-girlfriend before biological family (Oregon) | 12/4/2007 |
Q: My nephew has been in foster care since December 06. He is now a year old. 8 weeks ago he was placed ...
A: The lawyer will be in a better position to negotiate with DHS and can also represent you in court. ...
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| Tracking down old adoption records | 11/30/2007 |
Q: I just found out that I was adopted in 1952. Because i have children and grandchildren I would like ...
A: You should start off by contacting the Bureau of Vital Records in the State where you were adopted. ...
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| Step father adoption | 11/30/2007 |
Q: I have recently gotten married to a wonderful man who would like to adopt my 18 month son. The ...
A: In most cases you will need to have a lawyer in order for your husband to adopt your child. Since ...
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| Adoption | 11/27/2007 |
Q: I am in the process of adopting my Step Daughter, who is a filipino citizen. She is also a US green ...
A: Birth certificates are handled at the state level in most cases. In New York State, families will ...
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| adopting a step child | 11/19/2007 |
Q: Me and my fiancee getting married he has a daughter from a pervious relationship. The Daughter ...
A: but it would be highly unusual for a judge to approve an adoption when there has been no voluntary ...
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| my soon to be steph dad adopting me | 11/3/2007 |
Q: I'm Sam and I was wondering how long it might take a steph dad to adopt his steph daughter when the ...
A: I suspect that it will take a year or so to get adopted by your stepfather to be. After he marries ...
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| Having Birthmom List Adoptive Father As Legal Father | 9/30/2007 |
Q: Well, here goes. Someone mentioned to me that I could have a cheaper adoption if I had the birthmom ...
A: Michelle-You could be setting yourself for years of problems if you encouraged the birthmother to ...
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| adopting my wife's daughter | 8/25/2007 |
Q: My wife and I have been married for 3 years. Our daughter is now 7 years old. Her biological ...
A: Check with the court clerk in the local court where they do adoptions in your state. The two main ...
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| education requirements | 8/14/2007 |
Q: I would like to know what is the best graduate program for someone if they want to become an ...
A: To be perfectly honest, I'm not familiar with the MFT. I know social work degrees are more than ...
|
| Want to find my youngest sister | 8/11/2007 |
Q: Peter, My youngest sister was given up for adoption when she was about 5-7 years old. I have tried ...
A: Searching for birth parents or siblings is something that I know very little about. I do know that ...
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| adopting a deseased friend's children | 7/26/2007 |
Q: I am working on a research and i would like to know if it was possible to adopt the children of a ...
A: I can't answer your question definitely since the adoption laws from state to state is not uniform. ...
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| My sisters unborn child | 7/21/2007 |
Q: I need information on adoption because I have a half sister who is 5 months pregnant and does not ...
A: the laws of most states would permit a private (independent) adoption. You would need to retain a ...
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| adopting stepchildren | 7/6/2007 |
Q: I have two children from previous relationships. Both of their fathers have nothing to do with them. ...
A: it may not be wise to have your husband adopt the two two children. In order for him to adopt them, ...
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| international adoption | 6/24/2007 |
Q: My husband and I are both 28 years old. We have been trying to conceive with no luck so far. We are ...
A: Janel-My first recommendation would be China, but you and your husband must be at least 30 years old ...
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| am I allowed to adopt a child | 6/16/2007 |
Q: I am a single woman who has had clinical depression for over 10 years now. I really want to adopt a ...
A: The laws and regulations regarding adoption vary from state to state. I would say that there are ...
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| How to get custody/adopt my cousin in TN? | 6/9/2007 |
Q: I'm 21 and live in Cleveland, OH. and do to some crazy situations in TN. my little 8 month old ...
A: The first thing you need to do is to ask yourself if you can handle the task of adopting a small ...
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| Adopting sister's baby | 6/6/2007 |
Q: I am having a hard time trying to obtain answers, so I am hoping you can help me. My sister lives ...
A: There are a couple of things to think about regarding the adoption you are discussing. Since you're ...
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| adopting an adult stepchild | 6/3/2007 |
Q: I have been a stepmom for 20 years and I would like to legally adopt my stepson. His biological mom ...
A: In a case where an adult is being adopted, I don't believe the court will require that the Mom do a ...
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| getting custody of my nephew | 5/2/2007 |
Q: I have several questions, but i'll try to make this short. :) my husband's sister had a little baby ...
A: Heather-You are describing a situation in which the Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children ...
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| Step child adoption with concent from bio-parent | 4/10/2007 |
Q: ok i have a daughter from a previous relationship. my husband has raised her since she was 7 months ...
A: You should go to a court in Arizona that handles adoptions. You should also hire an attorney who ...
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| Adopting my sister's child | 4/8/2007 |
Q: I have a sister who is on drugs, goes back and forth to jail and has lost all three children due to ...
A: Lori-If your sister won't voluntarily relinquish, it will make things more complicated. How did the ...
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| Adopting my sister's child | 4/7/2007 |
Q: I have a sister who is on drugs, goes back and forth to jail and has lost all three children due to ...
A: I would advise you to meet with a lawyer in your area to discuss what is involved in doing an ...
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| stepchild adoption | 3/17/2007 |
Q: my wife and i got married last year, our daughter is 20 months and we are expecting our son this ...
A: Jesse-You usually need to hire a lawyer to do a step-parent adoption and you also need an adoption ...
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| adoption | 3/13/2007 |
Q: Would you happen to know of any groups that would help without charging. From Pennsylvania, and ...
A: As I mentioned in my first message, I really don't have a lot of familiarity with adoption search ...
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| adoption | 3/12/2007 |
Q: I was wondering if you could help me. I was interested in trying to biological birth parents ...
A: First of all, it is important for you to know that there is nothing wrong or illegal about trying to ...
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| Adoption Subsidy Agreement - what should be included | 3/2/2007 |
Q: Can you give any advise on what we should specifically ask be included when we do the Adoption ...
A: I'm not sure what you mean about "what should be included" since you'll essentially be signing a ...
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| Question About Parental Termination | 11/20/2006 |
Q: In 2002, my wife (although we hadn't even met yet at the time) gave birth to her daughter. The ...
A: I think the first step in the process would be to hire a lawyer in your area who does a lot of ...
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| 8 year old daughter | 11/18/2006 |
Q: 7 years ago we adopted our daughter (now 8)from Romania. This school year seems to be the worse. ...
A: Unfortunately, families do experience problems with adopted children and then they also often have ...
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| Adopting step daughter | 11/12/2006 |
Q: First of all, thank you for your time in reading this and help the many people you do. I am hoping ...
A: In answer to your question, you can go to court to have your step-daughter's name changed legally or ...
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| adopting my stepchildren without fathers permission | 10/26/2006 |
Q: My stepchildren want me to adopt them mostly my stepdaughter Her father and his family were never ...
A: If you want to go ahead and seriously explore adopting your stepdaughter, you will have to speak ...
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| Step-daughter adoption CHEAP !? | 10/17/2006 |
Q: First off My husband and I went for 2 years without seeing his daughter simply because the mother ...
A: I have to agree with the judge on this one. I am not that familiar with the laws in Wisconsin, but ...
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| parental rights termination/adoption | 10/9/2006 |
Q: I am not sure if you are the correct person to help me, but if you aren't, then perhaps you can ...
A: From the information that you have given me, it probably would be best for your brother to visit an ...
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| Adoption | 8/19/2006 |
Q: I have a daughter and her father is not involved at all. Doesnt pay child support. Has never even ...
A: When someone adopts a child whose birth father is alive, they need to get a voluntay or involuntary ...
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| adoption | 8/8/2006 |
Q: i was adopted in n.y. in
A: As you know, adoption records in NYS are sealed and you don't have access to identifying information ...
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| Step father adopting step daughter | 7/31/2006 |
Q: I am writing in response to Melanie's question to you as i am in the same situation. How much and ...
A: First of all, adoption law varies from state to state. Generally speaking, the following procdures ...
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| step daughter adoption | 7/28/2006 |
Q: My husband would like to adopt my daughter as his own. My daugther, being 12, is open to this act ...
A: I'm not familiar with that web site, but I would contact the court clerk of my local family court ...
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| Adoption | 7/8/2006 |
Q: My wife and I are interested in internationally adopting a baby. While we plan to purchase a home ...
A: I can't answer your question definititively, because the best place to get an answer would be from ...
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| adoption of unborn niece/nephew | 7/2/2006 |
Q: I'm thrilled to have found this website. Thank you for taking my email. Situation: My sister found ...
A: The question that you pose has a lot of different angles, but I'll try to touch on the main issues. ...
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| Adoption Of Myself | 5/30/2006 |
Q: I would like to ask a couple questions I am 20 years old about to be 21 in august and I'm expecting ...
A: Stephanie, The courts generally reserve adoption to children or adults who have serious limitations. ...
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| great neice and nephew in Ala. | 4/27/2006 |
Q: My Nephew and his wife lost custody of their two children about fifteen months ago. The youngest ...
A: The way it all works is that before they will allow you to take care of grandniece and newphew is ...
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| How to adopt my niece | 4/17/2006 |
Q: My husband and I are interested in adopting my 17 year-old niece who has been orphaned since she was ...
A: Susan- I have limited knowledge of this kind of adoption. The Department of State's website or the ...
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| international adoption | 2/5/2006 |
Q: It has always been a dream to adopt a baby girl from China. I am finding that the adoptive parents ...
A: Lynne-You and your husband sound like perfect candidates as adoptive parents. Unfortunately China ...
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| Adoption of my Niece | 1/23/2006 |
Q: I guess I didn't explain myself good enough. We are not fostering her anymore. This is how it ...
A: You could and probably should discuss the birthparent's legal standing and yours, with an attorney. ...
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| Adoption of my Niece | 1/23/2006 |
Q: Wow where to begin. I'll start with a bit of background just so you know where we are at. My wife ...
A: To get to the heart of the matter, you are not in a very good position in this matter. As foster ...
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| Stepparent Adopting Complications | 12/28/2005 |
Q: My fiance would like to adopt my kids soon, but I am really concerned about their biological ...
A: You are right, it is more difficult for someone to adopt children if the birth father refuses to ...
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| Adult Adoption | 10/7/2005 |
Q: I just found out that my sister, whom I thought my parents adopted 40 years ago, was never adopted ...
A: Mike- Adoption laws vary by state, but generally speaking, only children may be adopted. Those in ...
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| My nieces in State Custody | 8/17/2005 |
Q: .I pray you can give me a little more insight. I live in TN. My brother passed away-Fla. The state ...
A: Cathy- From what you write, I would say that you are receiving atrocious treatment. I can't ...
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| adoption | 8/17/2005 |
Q: Winkler, My best friend, who lives in Oregon, has fostered a little girl for more than 2 years. ...
A: I don't know the specific law/regulations that are in effect in Oregon. However, practically ...
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| Adopting a child from a group home.. | 7/12/2005 |
Q: I am filling out the Adoption assistance form to dertermince eligibility for the amount. What are ...
A: You didn't mention which state the child is living in. The rules regarding rates vary from state to ...
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| Birth Father objecting | 5/30/2005 |
Q: My question is this... basically just wanting to know your opinion since you seem very knowelgable ...
A: First of all, I have to remind you that I'm not a lawyer and what I have to write is not a legal ...
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| adopt a child | 12/27/2004 |
Q: I would like to adopt a child from Asia,India or Middle East.I went to Egypt but I could not find a ...
A: I think that you should start off by consulting and probably working with, an adoption agency here ...
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| ODD | 11/30/2004 |
Q: my daughter was adopted at age 2...she is diagnosed ODD or now, Conduct disorder...she is 16 ...
A: I think that the best way torespond to what you wrote is to encourage you to find a good counselor ...
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| what happens to original birth certificate | 11/11/2004 |
Q: I was adopted by my step-father and my last name was changed. What happened to my original birth ...
A: First of all, each state individually regulates the birth certificate issuance procedure; so the ...
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| Timeframe for Adoption | 9/22/2004 |
Q: Mr. Winkler Thank you for your answer. How long should I expect this process to take?Mr. Winkler I ...
A: Things work differently in each state because of the specific law in the state and court practice. ...
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| Timeframe for Adoption | 9/21/2004 |
Q: Mr. Winkler I am looking to adopt my wife's two children (5 and 7). Their father hasn't had any ...
A: The birth father will not contest the adoption, he should sign a voluntary relinquishment which ...
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| Adoption of an adult | 9/6/2004 |
Q: I am going to adopt a young man that is 27 years old. He has not had a father in his life until he ...
A: First, I have to make clear that I'm not an attorney, so I can't give legal advace. Adoption law ...
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| Step-father adoptions | 8/5/2004 |
Q: My wife and I are looking for information on how I can adopt her daughter. The child's biological ...
A: The requirements/procedure to do a step-parent adoption vary from state to state. You really should ...
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| i need to change my name back | 4/25/2004 |
Q: when i was almost 3 my birth father was killed in a car accident. My mother remarried another man ...
A: This is a question that I've never run into and so I can't really give an adequate answer. You ...
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| public adoption/foster care | 2/8/2004 |
Q: I am currently an MSW student at the University of Kentucky. I am working on a project for my ...
A: Boy, I love this question. I really can't do it justice in the amount of space they give me, but ...
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| do you think I have a chance | 12/28/2003 |
Q: I am 24 years old, my wife will soon be 21.I am looking in to adopting my 16 year old 2nd cousin. ...
A: Sure, you have a chance. A lot will depend on the people in the system that you are dealing with ...
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| Adoption as an adult | 9/24/2003 |
Q: I am not sure from your profile if you will be able to answer my question. I apologize if you are ...
A: I'm not an attorney, but I do know that usually judges will only allow the adoption of minors or of ...
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| helo again,sorrry ,need to rephrase the question. | 11/1/2002 |
Q: i like to change my girls name to the my current husbands name,the original father name is not on ...
A: What I think you are talking about is adopting the child. In that case you need to go to the court ...
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| College preparation for career as social worker | 10/2/2002 |
Q: I just started my second year at the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse and I'm beginning to ...
A: A bachelor's in sociology or psychology would be a good start. However, the professional level ...
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| Step-father adoption | 8/9/2002 |
Q: I am wondering if you can answer a question, if not then that is okay. Do you know what it takes ...
A: The easiest way for the step-father to adopt his stepdaughter is to get the birth father to sign a ...
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| Dear Peter,
hello there,... | 7/25/2002 |
Q: hello there, i have a question about adopting a child, who is already a member of your family. My ...
A: It sounds like a good idea to me. There are expenses involved for a lawyer and for someone to do ...
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