Adoption Law: Should You Enter Into Contracts With Birth Parents? In the not too distant past, most adoptions were closed, and many surrendered children never learned their birth parents’ identities. But times have changed, and today, nearly 70% of adoptions are “open.” Keeping communication lines open can be fulfilling for all involved, but things tend […]

How Do You Go About Adopting an Extended Family Member? In 2011, more than 1,000 children were placed in New Jersey with extended family members. The Main Goal The Department of Children and Families strives for the reunification of parents and children, but if this isn’t possible, the children will be designated as “legally free […]

It is well-established that children can have happy lives with both heterosexual and same-sex parents, so we are discovering that suitable homes for kids include many different types of combinations. The fact is that same-sex couples are more likely to have adopted children in their homes than heterosexual couples. In 2019, same-sex couples were four […]

Each year, roughly 20 million people in the United States take time off from work through the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The guidelines that have been promulgated under this federal law are designed to help ensure that you can take off work to prepare, for example, for a new addition to your family, […]

Breaking Down the Adoption Tax Credit for 2020 Tax Returns Although you can’t legally get out of paying taxes, you can qualify for tax credits that reduce your total tax load. For the 2020 tax year, the IRS allows adoptive parents to deduct qualified adoption expenses of up to $14,300 per child. Rather than passing […]

The Struggles of Adopting as a Hopeful Single Parent Prospective adoptive parents who are single often worry that they’ll be overlooked in favor of married couples. Despite this common concern, unmarried people were responsible for roughly one-third of all U.S. foster care adoptions in 2011. Even with positive facts like these, it’s easy for a […]

Understanding the Steps of Grandparent Adoption in NJ In the U.S., over 2.4 million grandparents are currently raising their grandchildren. For many families, formally adopting grandchildren can be a smart move that gives grandparents all the legal rights of a parent. If you’re interested in adopting a grandchild, you need to be prepared to follow […]

Safe at Home: Keeping Adopted Children Safe During the Pandemic There have been over 6 million cases of COVID-19 in the United States, causing untold hardships for millions around the country. If you’re the parent of an adopted child, you know that the damage done by the illness isn’t confined to those who get sick. […]

With a Slower Process, Families Still Seek to Adopt While more families are seeking to adopt during the COVID-19 shutdown, delays have made the process more frustrating for some. Your loving home is still desired, although the process may take longer. When issues are resolved, you can file papers in New Jersey with the Office of […]

Should You Adopt Through Foster Care? Roughly 59% of all non-stepparent adoptions in the United States each year are adoptions that happen through the foster care system. Though this style of adoption is extremely common, many prospective parents are not aware of it. Understanding the pros and cons of adopting through the foster system can […]