Adoptions allow people to add new members to their families. Most people are familiar with infant adoptions, foster parent adoptions, grandparent adoptions and stepparent adoptions. Adults who play an important role in the care of minor children may seek to formally assume a parental role.
However, some adoptions involve adults, rather than children. Adult adoptions may occur for a variety of different reasons. People may learn about family connections years after they become legal adults. Those who have strong emotional connections to specific people and who have provided social or financial support for vulnerable people may want to establish a formal relationship.
Adult adoptions can be very meaningful endeavors. They can provide support during advanced age for the adoptive parent and provide the adopted adult with legal inheritance rights. Adult adoptions are relatively streamlined when compared with the adoption of a child. However, it is still a legal process that requires approval from multiple parties. Who needs to consent to an adult adoption?
All of the adults involved must consent
Obviously, the adult proposing an adoption, and possibly also their spouse, has to consent to the adoption. Additionally, the person establishing new family relationships as the subject of an adult adoption must consent to the process.
Once children reach 14 years of age, their consent to adoption is a critical element of the process. In an adult adoption scenario, the adult subject to an adoption must provide their consent to the process.
The courts must approve as well
Completing a successful adult adoption requires the approval of a family law judge. Unlike adoptions involving minor children, there is no home study process involved in an adult adoption. The adoptive parent can also bypass the background check that is standard in minor adoptions. However, a judge does need to review the situation and agree that the adoption is appropriate given the circumstances.
Pursuing an adult adoption can help strengthen social relationships, establish inheritance rights and extend valuable protections to both the adoptive parents and the adopted adult. Obtaining appropriate support when pursuing an adult adoption can help make the process more manageable. Aspiring adoptive parents typically need help managing the process, regardless of the age of the person they hope to adopt.