Get Legal Help for Adoption in Honolulu, HI, and Avoid Red Tape

Adoption in Honolulu, HI, is an exciting time for the parent or parents to be. It’s the completion of dreams that were otherwise going to be difficult to fulfill. Thus, when the opportunity to adopt a child arrives, the to-be parents rush to get the process started and finished. The problem is, adoption is a legal process that has to be completed in the courts. It has to be handled this way in order to ensure that the rights of all are respected and the laws followed. After all, the child’s original parent or parents do have to terminate their parental rights, and it’s not always a guarantee that this happens without a hitch.
The requirements for Adoption in Honolulu, HI, are fairly straightforward, but the laws still have to be observed. The law allows a variety of marital statuses to be eligible for adoption, including singles, but it does require that both halves of a married couple adopt the child. There can be no one half of the marriage deciding to do the adoption. However, a step-parent does have the option to legally adopt the children of their spouse. The most important part of the adoption is that consent is observed in most cases, and that non-consent cases have been properly processed beforehand.
Consent adoptions for children under 10 years of age require that the birth parent(s) sign consent forms stating that they are voluntarily giving up their child for adoption. When the child is over 10, the court requires that the child also sign off on the forms. Non-consent adoptions require birth parents who can not be located, child support hasn’t been paid for over a year, there has been no contact with the child for more than a year, and the child has lived with the adoptive family for over a year.
Making sure that everything is legally in order needs to be the number one priority of the adoptive parent(s). Consulting with Attorney Cheryl Takabayashi before moving forward can help avoid mistakes. Getting legal help means that adopters gain access to legal knowledge that can be valuable throughout the process.