Step-Parent Adoption

Step-Parent Adoption occurs when you would like to be the legal parent to your spouse's biological child. This requires relinquishment of the parental rights by the other biological parent, so the child is free for adoption. Adoption Services can provide the adoptive homestudy, and court reports. This type of adoption can cost between $500 - $2,000.

Common Q & A

Many people who pursue a step-parent adoption have been living together and with the child for a long period of time and wonder why it is necessary to have a homestudy. The State requires a homestudy to be done on any person pursuing adoption, regardless of the type of adoption. Our social worker will probably end up meeting with you, your spouse, and the child at least one time in your home. This meeting, and the required documentation needed with the application, should be enough to complete the homestudy.

Adoption Services requires that the child involved with a step-parent adoption openly knows about the adoption. We feel that this honesty is in the best interest of the child and the family's future. We understand that there are many circumstances that play into how this adoption came about, but we still feel it is best for a child to realize where their roots lie, and how their family has come to be.