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Law Office of Andrew A. Bestafka, Esq. > Practice Areas > Adoption > Relative Adoption

Monmouth County Relative Adoption Lawyer

Every year in New Jersey, relatives and grandparents rise to the challenge of providing care for minor children who cannot reside with their biological parents. When children cannot remain with their parents, New Jersey’s Child Protection and Permanency (CPP) will look at relatives first so children can be around familiar faces.

With an often lengthy process to endure, many grandparents and relatives interested in adopting turn to Law Office of Andrew A. Bestafka, Esq., a firm with qualified Monmouth County relative adoption attorneys ready to help protect the best interests of children.

To get started on your relative adoption in New Jersey, schedule a consultation with our firm today by calling (732) 898-2378. We’ll explain in detail how the process works, what to expect, and how to get started on your case immediately.

Why Do I Need a Lawyer?

Adoption is an incredibly complex process where numerous agencies may have an interest in the child’s welfare. Relatives, regardless of the relationship they have with the minor children they intend to adopt, must be deemed fit by New Jersey to become parents. With mounds of paperwork, home studies, background checks, and potential termination hearings, adoptions can overwhelm the average person. In some cases, filing paperwork incorrectly or missing deadlines can terminate the process altogether.

Attorneys who dedicate their practice to family law understand the legalities behind adoption. They understand the process, have measurable experience handling similar cases to yours, and can make the process go much smoother than if applicants attempted the process without counsel.

Relative adoption laws in New Jersey are strict. They cannot be circumvented. An adoption attorney can quickly reference and interpret laws as they apply to your case, and make sure all procedures are followed properly to avoid delays or denials in your adoption.

Why Choose Us?

Our intelligent yet cost-efficient approach to helping relatives adopt children within the family makes Law Office of Andrew A. Bestafka, Esq. the best choice for adoptions in and around Monmouth County. With a lead attorney that’s been practicing family law his entire career, a dedicated team that works accurately to avoid errors in filing paperwork, and top ratings on today’s most widely accepted review sites, it’s easy to see why so many turn to us for legal representation.

Testimonials of past clients attest to our punctuality, work ethic, and desire to see families succeed. From the first time you talk with our attorney, a feeling of ease and calm will quickly erase any anxiety you feel about your adoption.

Potential adoptive parents choose this firm because we are driven by results and passionate about the families we serve in our community.

How Relative Adoption Works: Your Rights and Options

When biological parents decide to terminate their rights, or if both biological parents are deceased, relative adoptions are usually pretty straightforward from there. However, should one or both parents fight termination, an adoption attorney will need to involuntarily surrender their rights so that the adoption process can move forward. Termination of parental rights proceedings must be handled with care, since New Jersey takes the institution of natural parenthood seriously.

Even after rights are terminated, the State of New Jersey will want to make sure your home, finances, and background are sufficient enough for the children you will care for. So, the state will take the necessary steps to assure that grandparents or other relatives are capable of assuming parental duties.

Once there’s a clear path to adopting your relative, your adoption attorney can help with filing paperwork with Monmouth County so the adoption can be finalized legally. This may require a separate relative adoption home study, although your lawyer can discuss this process with you.

Benefits of relative adoption include:

  • The ability to love and care for young children born into the family without having to spend tens of thousands on adopting from agencies;
  • The opportunity to remove innocent lives from bad situations, and give these young children the opportunity to learn, play and live in a safe, healthy, and happy environment;
  • The flexibility to allow biological parents to maintain contact with your consent, and not without; and
  • The benefit of a less stressful and often quicker process than adoptions with outside agencies or intercountry adoptions, since there’s already a family connection.

Another popular option for relatives interested in caring for children the biological parents cannot provide adequate care for is kinship care, which is similar to foster care for minor children within the family. Our attorney can help with this process, too.

To start the kinship care process, CPP will need to approve placement with the relative(s) in question. This process involves a thorough home study and both local and national police background checks on all members of the relative’s home over 18 years of age.

Once placement is approved, CPP will help the relative with their licensed resource parent application. This usually happens with five days of placement. Once the application is approved, and the parents are licensed, they may qualify for a monthly stipend, clothing allowance, health care, and other resources to ease the transition.

Contact a Monmouth County Relative Adoption Attorney

Relatives and grandparents are often close to children born into their family, which lessens the distress children often endure when separated from their birth parents. By providing a positive environment with love, education, and basic needs, children are given a fighting chance to grow as positive contributors to the cities they will call home. This is why relative adoption is growing in popularity in New Jersey.

We know each family will have unique kinship adoption needs, which is why we tailor our services to each family we help. Adoption is a wonderful process that gives hope to children in otherwise unsafe situations. Our adoption lawyers are passionate about helping to make your goals a reality.

Let Law Office of Andrew A. Bestafka, Esq. talk to you about relative adoption. The process will be explained to you in plain English, so you can decide whether this is the best choice for your family. Get started by calling our office to schedule your initial case review at (732) 898-2378.