Is it Possible to Place My Baby in a Temporary Adoption?

I WANT TO GIVE MY CHILD AWAY TEMPORARILY. CAN I PURSUE A TEMPORARY ADOPTION?

A “temporary adoption” is a misnomer. An adoption, in its very nature, is always permanent, as it involves a new family assuming legal guardianship of a child. If you place your baby or child for adoption, it will always be a permanent decision. You will not be able to regain parental rights to your child after choosing adoption.

This does not mean that you won’t ever be able to see or contact your child again if you choose adoption. We always like to recommend at least some degree of openness and communication in an adoption. 

If a child’s birth parents and adoptive parents choose an open adoption, they will exchange identifying information and remain in contact throughout the rest of their lives. This might mean interacting through phone calls, emails, in-person visits and more.

It’s also a possibility to pursue a semi-open adoption, which means that you’ll still receive updates on your child, but that you won’t have the adoptive family’s contact information or be able to directly contact them. In this case, an adoption professional would mediate contact between the two parties.

Like in any adoption, an open or semi-open adoption still means that you would be permanently terminating your legal parental rights. It is not temporary.

If you feel that you aren’t equipped to parent but aren’t willing to say goodbye to your child forever, an open or semi-open adoption may be an option for you. However, if you don’t permanently terminate your rights to your child and you would like to parent him or her again one day, you would need to seek a temporary legal guardianship.

WHO CAN HELP ME TO ARRANGE A TEMPORARY LEGAL GUARDIANSHIP?

If you are seeking a temporary adoption — or, as it’s more accurately called, a temporary legal guardianship — it’s always best practice to contact a respected attorney who practices family law. 

Failing to correctly complete the legal processes of temporary guardianship could jeopardize the legitimacy of your decision, meaning CPS could step in. You will need to fill out paperwork to make the temporary guardianship legitimate and legal, and it’s always important to have a trusted attorney involved in any sort of custody arrangement involving your child.

If you are debating between a temporary legal guardianship for your child or a permanent adoption, it’s important to thoroughly research your options and think about what will be best for you and your child in your own individual situation. 

If you have questions or need access to more state-specific information, reach out to an adoption attorney near you or contact us today to get more information.