What's involved in the stepparent adoption process?

The process for adopting a stepchild varies from county to county in the state of California. Our office represents clients throughout California in connection with stepparent adoptions. By means of illustration only, the process is usually started by the filing of a petition for stepparent adoption. After the paperwork required by the State Department of Social Services to start the process is completed by the adopting parent and his or her spouse, it is forwarded by our offices along with a conformed copy of the petition to the applicable state agency (Department of Children's Services or State Department of Social Services depending on the county) for investigation. Depending on the whereabouts of the biological parent who is not participating in the adoption (in many instances the biological father) and the procedures required to either terminate his rights by judicial decree or to obtain his voluntary consent, the state agency will try to obtain the consent of the absent parent ...  more