There are several key steps to any adoption in Arkansas, regardless of the type of adoption (step-parent adoption, agency adoption, or private adoption).
1. Petition.
This is the document filed with the court having jurisdiction that initiates the legal action. Under Arkansas adoption law, the petition must be signed for verification by the petitioners and those signatures must be notarized.
2. Homestudy.
If required, under Arkansas adoption law, the homestudy must be completed prior to placement of the child in the adoptive home. However, often times the child has been placed with the adopting family for months or years, or is irrelevant as in a stepparent adoption.
In Arkansas, the homestudy will include acquisition of a criminal history and child maltreatment check with the appropriate state agencies.
3. Statement of Expenses.
If required, a statement of all expenses related to the adoption must be reported to the court. Under Arkansas adoption law, any funds contributed to or paid on behalf of the birthparents must also be reported. This document must be verified and notarized.
4. Putative Father Registry Clearance.
If required, the Putative Father Registry must be checked and a clear record confirmed with the court. This is the case under Arkansas law when the biological father in unknown (i.e.: no man married to the mother on the day of birth; no man signing the birth certificate as father of the child; and no man co-habitating with the mother and holding himself out as the father near the time of the birth).
5. Decree of Adoption.
This is it, the key document you are waiting to have signed by the judge. Every adoption proceeding in Arkansas requires at least a short hearing. At that time, if the requirements have all been satisfied we will present your adoption decree to the judge for signature.
6. New Birth Certificate.
We will prepare and submit a Report of Adoption with supporting documents to the Arkansas Department of Vital Records. This will result in a new birth certificate showing petitioners as the only true and legal parents of the adopted child.
This a very good question, and unfortunately a question we get too often. It is unfortunate because it has long been possible for a single adult to adopt another person. It is good public policy. Somehow the misconception has been planted out in the world that says you must be married. This is not the case at all. In fact, one of the fastest growing segments of the adopting world are single grandparents adopting their grandchildren.
Amendment One was recently found unconstitutional by the Arkansas Supreme Court. That law did require an adopting couple to be legally married. However, it at no point jeopardized the ability of a single person to adopt.
If you have any questions about adopting please call or write for free information.
Shane A. Henry
Many couples looking to adopt quickly realize there are several different expense categories, and they also learn that a homestudy may be necessary in order to legally complete the adoption pursuant to Arkansas adoption law.
If you are related within 2 degrees of blood then the court can waive the homestudy requirement. Parents, sibling, and children are all within 1 level or degree of blood under Arkansas adoption law. The next level includes grandparents, grandchildren, and nieces and nephews. If you person you are seeking to adopt is not within any of those categories in relation to you, then you must have a homestudy.
Homestudies are expensive. The typical range is $1,000.00 – $2,000.00. However, if the cost of the homestudy is detrimental to your ability to pursue an adoption, or if you need flexible payment options, our Arkansas adoption network gives us access to many qualified licensed social workers who are pleased to accommodate you in that area.
The homestudy will include background and child maltreatment checks on the petitioners (those persons seeking to adopt), at least 1 visit to your home, and a general analysis of who you are individually that includes social habits, childhood, work, and relationship details. The homestudy is a very confidential document and it will be sealed up with the rest of the adoption case. Most likely, your attorney and the Judge on the case are the only people in the world who will actually see the report.
Shane A. Henry
We are launching our website today in beta! We hope that you find this website as an incredible resource for adoptions in Arkansas. Please bear with us as we continue to add content to this website…
