What are the procedures applied in an adoption?
Adoption proceedings are divided into two stages. The first stage determines whether the natural parent’s rights may be terminated. The second stage is an independent determination as to whether the adoption is in the child’s best interests. In the first stage of a contested adoption proceeding, a court may focus only on the natural parents’ rights and interests; the child’s best interests are not an issue. Procedural safeguards serve to protect the interests of the parties, the child, and the public. Legal adoption results if the statutory procedure is followed, but fails if any essential statutory requirement is not satisfied, such as fulfilling residency requirements, proper disclosure of documents and reports, and establishment of paternity.
