What Happens When Parents Do Not Wish to Have Their Children Return Home, or Cannot Provide Proper Care for Their Children?
Parents may voluntarily agree to have their children adopted by signing a document called a “Surrender”, giving up their rights as parents. Or the agency may file a petition asking the court to hold a hearing to determine if the court should “terminate” (end) the parents’ rights. If the court finds that the child has been abandoned, permanently neglected, or severely or repeatedly abused, or that the parents are unable to properly care for the child because of mental illness or retardation, the court may permanently end the parents’ rights to the child and give custody and guardianship of the child to the Administration for Children’s Services and the agency. A child may then be adopted by the foster parents, or the agency may seek another suitable permanent home for the child.
