INTERSTATE
NEED AN ATTORNEY FOR AN INTERSTATE ADOPTION?
You have come to the Right Place!
I am an experienced adoption attorney who, for over 21 years, has devoted the majority of my law practice to adoption law. I have successfully completed over two thousand adoptions and have completed many interstate adoptions..
Interstate adoptions can be more complex that a regular in-state adoption.
What is an INTERSTATE Adoption?
An interstate adoption refers to an adoption where the adoptive parents reside in one state and the child to be adopted resides in another state. If the child is not yet born the place of residence for the child would be where the birth mother resides.
What is the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC)?
The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) establishes uniform legal and administrative procedures governing the interstate placement of children. ICPC packets are prepared with specific information on the birth family, subject child, and adoptive family (including the adoptive parents' homestudy). These packets are sent first to the ICPC coordinator in the child's home state and then, if approved, sent to the adoptive parent's home state's ICPC coordinator for approval.
How will ICPC AFFECT our Adoption?
In an ICPC adoption the child is not permitted to travel with the adoptive parents to their home state unless the sending state's ICPC coordinator gives approval for the child to leave AND the receiving state's ICPC coordinator gives approval for the child to come. As a result, adoptive parents should expect to stay ten days or more in the child's home state while waiting for ICPC approval.
What happens if we DO NOT COMPLY with ICPC?
Violating ICPC can cause the court to set aside an order terminating parental rights and possibly void your adoption!
How Can we BEST PREPARE ourselves for an ICPC adoption?
Because of the complexities involved in an ICPC case and the propensity for errors in the ICPC packet to create delays in obtaining ICPC approval and prolong your stay in the child's state, it is very important to seek out an adoption attorney that is experienced in handling interstate adoption cases.
For more details and information on my legal fees for an interstate adoption you can call me for a free phone consultation where I can discuss the specifics of your case and I am happy to email you a more detailed estimate.