Skilled Assistance With Your Texas Private Termination And Adoption
In some cases, the best interests of the child are to be with someone besides their birth parent. Houston family law attorney Dan-Phi Nguyen has extensive experience working with the Texas Department of Family Protective Services (DFPS), also sometimes called Child Protective Services (CPS).
Attorney Nguyen worked for eight years prosecuting cases on behalf of CPS. He has a comprehensive understanding of what is meant by looking out for the welfare of the child. He is able to assist in your efforts to terminate a biological parent’s rights in order for your child to be adopted by another adult. Call The Law Office of Dan-Phi V. Nguyen, PLLC, at (713) 485-0781 for assistance or to get your questions about the process answered.
Why You May Want To Seek A Termination And Private Adoption
Aside from DFPS cases, private individuals can also petition for the termination of parental rights for the purposes of seeking adoption for the subject child.
Termination of parental rights is a two-prong test. It requires that you:
- Meet at least one statutory ground (under Chapter 161 of the Texas Family Code)
- Show that the termination is in the child’s best interest
Termination suits can be brought by any party with standing to file suit. The most common type of termination suits are brought by one parent requesting to terminate the parental rights of the other parent. This is done in anticipation of having the child’s stepparent adopt the child in a private adoption.
The objective of termination and adoption is to make your blended family official. In many cases, the biological parent has abandoned the child or has shown little to no interest in being present and supporting and parenting the child. A biological parent may also be unable to parent due to mental health or addiction issues, incarceration, or abuse or neglect of the child. In some cases, the biological parents went through a divorce. In other cases, the parents were never married, but the parent has proven paternity or still has parental rights.
How To File And What Is Required
The petition for adoption can be filed in one of two ways. It can be filed jointly with the termination suit, or it can be filed separately under a different cause number. Some people choose to file under a different cause number to preserve the confidentiality of the people involved.
The adoption process requires a home study and an FBI criminal background check for the potential adoptive parent. It is advisable to work with an attorney who has a solid understanding of family law issues.
Connect With Attorney Dan-Phi Nguyen
Get the experienced guidance you need in termination and adoption matters. Call attorney Dan-Phi Nguyen at (713) 485-0781 . Set up a time to discuss the specifics of your termination and adoption issue. You can also reach him via contact email.