Family Adoption/Grandparent Adoption
by
Donald J. Baranski on May. 22, 2018
Summary: Family member adoption, Grandparent, Aunt, Uncle, brother, sister, any one related to the adoptee.
FAMILY ADOPTIONS
About the Professor:
Dr. Donald J. Baranski, received his Bachelor of Arts in Humanities Pre Law, from Michigan State University. This was a triple major of American History, Philosophy, and Psychology. He then received a Master of Arts degree in Philosophy from Michigan State University. He then obtained his Juris Doctor from Michigan State University College of Law. Dr. Baranski has been a licensed Attorney and Counselor at Law in the State of Michigan since 1988, practicing adoption law in Eaton Rapids. Dr. Baranski is a Certified Adoption Attorney. Dr. Baranski has been teaching since 1989. He has taught at Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, where he developed the course, “Adoption Law and Procedure” and wrote the text. He has also taught at Michigan State University College of Law, Jackson College, and the Eaton Rapids High School.
FAMILY ADOPTION
Definition of Relative
Relative Adoptions are the most preferred type of adoption, because the child/children get to stay with their biological family. It's important to keep contact with the bio family - knowing where you come from, your family's values, morals, and traditions, your medical history - it all shapes who you are as a person.
Relative - A person related to the adoptee within the fifth degree by marriage, blood or adoption. They include: Parent, step-parent, grandparent, step-grandparent, brother, step-brother, sister, step-sister, uncle, step-uncle, aunt, step-aunt, first cousin, step-first cousin, great-aunt, stepgreataunt, great-uncle, step-great uncle, great-grandparent, step-great grandparent, first cousin once removed, step-first cousin once removed, great-great-grandparent, step-great great-grandparent, great-great-uncle, step-great-great-uncle, great-great-aunt, step-great-great-aunt, great-great-great-grandparent, or step-great-great-great-grandparent.
Background Check
The first step for the family adoption is to have homestudy done. This evaluation will report the family background of the adopters, length of marriage (if married) income level, criminal background check, social history, age, and occupation, and types of child rearing the adopter(s) have in mind. The State of Michigan police will do a background check. Like the stepparent adoption, the probate court will send an employee to the adopters’ home for an investigation.
Voluntary Termination of Parental Rights
Usually, the child of the grand parents is the parent of the minor child[ren] to be adopted. That son or daughter is willing to sign off their parental rights. The problem is the other biological parent. The biological parent is notified and requested to sign off their parental rights.
Involuntary Termination of Parental Rights
If the other biological parent, [not the grandparents’ child] refuses to terminate their parental rights, a trial will have to be held to determine if it is in the child[ren]’s best interest to have that parents’ parental rights terminated.
Guardianship
If the grandparents already have a guardianship in place, and the parent that refused to voluntarily relinquish their parental rights has not visited or supported their child for the last two years before the filing of the petition of the adoption, their parental rights shall be terminated and the child[ren] will be placed with the grandparents for adoption if it is in the child[ren]’s best interest.
