Law Office of Rebekah Brown-Wiseman, P.A.
Call or Email To Begin a Consultation
Visa | MasterCard | American Express | Discover | PayPal

When a child a family wants to adopt is from another state

On Behalf of | Mar 20, 2015 | Adoption |

There are many different factors that can influence what sorts of procedures a family has to comply with to adopt a child and what kinds of rules and requirements are placed on them during the adoption process. One such factor is whether or not the child the family wishes to adopt is from the same state as the family. 

As is the case with many types of legal matters involving multiple states, there are some special concerns that can arise when it comes to interstate adoptions. To address these concerns, all 50 states and Washington D.C. have put into law an agreement dealing with adoptions in which the child and the family that wants to adopt the child are from different states. This agreement, called the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children, puts a variety of different procedures and requirements in place regarding interstate adoptions.  

Most interstate adoptions are required to be in compliance with the ICPC. Thus, a prospective adoptive family running afoul of the compact’s provisions when trying to adopt a child from another state could have significant consequences. It could perhaps even result in the adoption being a no-go. 

Given the complexity of interstate adoptions and the ICPC and the major consequences that can come from noncompliance with the ICPC, it is understandable that a Florida family that is trying to adopt a child who is from another state may feel a little intimidated by the ICPC and the interstate adoption process and worried about whether they will be able to avoid errors during the adoption process.

Our law firm can represent families in all different sorts of adoptions, including interstate adoptions. We can provide Palm Beach County and Broward County families who are seeking to adopt a child from another state with explanations of the interstate adoption process and can help such families with the different steps and coordination this process involves.