What is Child Welfare Adoption?
Children become available for adoption when their biological
parents’ legal rights are terminated by the Weld County District Court.
Parental rights are terminated as a result of child abuse, child neglect, or
abandonment; after all other avenues have been exhausted. Parents may also
choose to voluntarily give up their parental rights; this process is called
"relinquishment." The end result is the same: The biological parents
no longer have any legal rights to the children.
Single adults, married couples, unmarried couples and same-sex
couples can petition to adopt children in Colorado per state law. Adoptive
parents are granted all legal rights to the child, just as if the child had
been born to them. All potential adoptive parents must go through an extensive
approval process, including a thorough home study, personal interviews,
reference checks and fingerprint background checks.
Generally, the Department promotes adoption by the child’s
current foster parent(s) or caregiver(s); however, in some situations, this is
not possible. Sometimes the foster parents are unable to adopt the child (for a
variety of reasons), or the child’s special needs require that he/she
participate in extended treatment or other therapeutic interventions before
he/she will be ready for adoption. Our Adoption Unit works diligently to find
appropriate adoptive homes for children, utilizing many different
resources to find the best match for the child. Caseworkers access information
regarding possible adoptive families from many different agencies both inside
and outside Colorado. Once an adoptive family has been selected and the child
has been placed in their home, the caseworker provides the adoptive family with
resources and supportive services. The Department also assists the adoptive
family by helping them navigate the court process until the adoption is finalized.
After finalization, the Department offers post finalization
support services to all the families who have adopted through Weld County and
to families who adopted elsewhere, but reside in Weld County.
National Adoption Day
In the United States, there are more than 123,000 children in
foster care who need permanent, loving families, and many have been waiting
years to get adopted. But there is hope. On National Adoption Day, an
unprecedented number of courts in 400 communities in all 50 states, the
District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam will open their doors to finalize
the adoptions of thousands of children from foster care, and to celebrate all
families who adopt. Every year on National Adoption Day, a collective national
effort to raise awareness of children waiting in foster care to find permanent
homes and loving families.
In Colorado alone, more than 400 children in foster care are
waiting to find families they can call their own. It is unacceptable that any
child should not have the opportunity for a safe, loving and permanent home.
Weld County residents can make a difference in the life of a child.
Visit nationaladoptionday.org
for more information.