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Petition for adoption 2024 (guide + free sample)

This post covers everything you need to know about Petition for adoption

A petition for Adoption is the must document in an adoption application.

The question which might come to your mind now is how is that petition looks like.

What are the contents? It’s a Legal requirement?

Don’t worry here you will find the answer to those questions as I will take you through;

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  • meaning of petition for adoption
  • Contents of petition for adoption
  • legal considerations for the petition for divorce
  • petition for divorce sample
  • etc.

What is the Petition for Adoption?

It is the primary legal document that is filled in the court of competent jurisdiction by the person who seeks to adopt a child.  

This document must be accompanied by other documents to support the application.

A person who petitions for Adoption is known as a petitioner and the child to be adopted is referred to as an infant, minor or adoptee.

Contents of Petition for Adoption

The following are the basic contents of a petition for Adoption

  1. The title of the document i.e PETITION FOR ADOPTION
  2. Proper court citation, for example, SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA-FAMILY COURT
  3. Name, age, address, and nationality of petitioner
  4. Marital status of the petitioner
  5. Must show if the petitioner has any other children.
  6. Consent of parents or guardians of the infant
  7. The current status of the infant, where he/she lives, his/her guardians
  8. That the petitioner is able to take care of the child.
  9. Reliefs that you seek from the court are technically known as ‘prayers’

Legal Requirements of Petition for Adoption

The following are the legal requirements of the petition for Adoption

  1. Must be filled in the court of competent jurisdiction
  2. Must have the contents highlighted above
  3. Must be dated and signed by the petitioner
  4. Must contain prayers
  5. It must be accompanied by all necessary documents- vital records forms, information sheets, etc.
  6. Failure to comply with these requirements renders your application incompetent

NB: the legal requirements of a petition foradoption vary from state to state (other states use prescribed forms). For specific state requirements, I advise you to look for legal assistance from an Attorney in your state.

Petition for adoption sample

The following is the petition for adoption sample

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
FAMILY COURT
DOMESTIC RELATIONS BRANCH — ADOPTION

Ex Parte in the Matter of
The Petition of
[PETITIONER’S NAME]
For Adoption of a Minor Child.

Adoption Case No. ____

Judge/Magistrate Judge [NAME]

PETITION FOR ADOPTION

The petition of ……………………… showeth:-

  1. This Court has jurisdiction pursuant to D.C. Code § 16-301, et seq. (2009) in that the prospective adoptee, CHILD, is in the legal care, custody, or control of the Child and Family Services Agency (“CFSA”). The Court’s jurisdiction also derives from D.C. Code § 11-1101(9) (2011).
  2. [PETITIONER] is [AGE] years old and was born on [PETITIONER DOB]. [HE/SHE] belongs to the [RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION] faith and is [RACE]. [PETITIONER] has been working as [PROFESSION] since [YEAR].  [HE/SHE]. Never been married.
  3. [PETITIONER] lives at [address] in his/her own four-bedroom house with [relatives] and has lived there since [year]
  4. [CHILD] is a [AGE]-old boy that was born in [CITY STATE] on [DOB]. [CHILD] belongs to the [RACE] race, and [HIS/HER] religion is unknown.
  5. [PETITIONER] is [CHILD’S] authorized foster parent. The D.C. Child and Family Services Agency entrusted [CHILD] to [PETITIONER] on [DATE]. Since then, for more than half of [HIS/HER] life, [HE/SHE] has lived with [PETITIONER] continually and has flourished under [HIS/HER] care. [PETITIONER] and [CHILD] have a warm and caring relationship as parents and children.
  6. [PETITIONER] is asking for an adoption subsidy. [CHILD] has been identified as having special needs and developmental delays. Although an adoption subsidy agreement has not yet been signed, [PETITIONER] anticipates that one will be before the petition is approved.
  7. [PETITIONER] hasn’t obtained all of the potential adoptee’s medical, social, or historical background information.
  8. [BIO MOM] is the birth mother of [CHILD]. The [ADDRESS] is where she last resided. [RACE] is [BIO MOM]. Her religious affiliation is unknown.
  9. According to information and belief, [BIO DAD] is [CHILDpresumed ]’s the biological father. It’s thought that [BIO DAD] is [RACE], but his religious affiliation is unknown. His residence is also unknown, but the CFSA’s diligent search unit is expected to make an effort to find him.
  10. The birth mother and the birth father have not signed any executed original written consents. According to information and belief, the birth parents have not completed any documents renunciation their parental rights. According to information and belief, there are no orders from a court with appropriate authority terminating parental rights.
  11. The D.C. Child and Family Services Agency, 200 I Street, SE, Washington, DC, 20003 [and PRIVATE AGENCY NAME/ADDRESS [if any]] is the organization tasked with obtaining any necessary consent or relinquishment of birth parents.
  12. [PETITIONER] is fit and able to give [CHILD] a proper home and education.
  13. [PETITIONER] desires to adopt and treat [CHILD] as [HIS/HER] natural child.
  14. The adoption is in the best interest of [CHILD]

WHEREFORE your petitioner prays for:-

  • that a final decree of adoption be entered establishing the relationship of a natural parent and natural child for all purposes between the Petitioner, [PETITIONER], and the prospective adoptee, [CHILD]
  1. Such further or other order(s) as the nature of the case may.

Dated at ……………………. this …………. day of …………………….., ………………

…………………………
PETITIONER

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ss:
[PETITIONER], being first sworn, states that [HE/SHE] has read the Petition for Adoption and understands its terms and that the statements contained in this Petition are true to the best of [HIS/HER] information and belief.

…………………………
PETITIONER

Subscribed and sworn to before me this __ day of [MONTH YEAR].

Deputy Clerk/ Notary Public

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Isack Kimaro
Isack Kimaro

Isack Kimaro, a lawyer, Creative Writer and self-taught SEO expert has been a prominent author of law-related topics since 2017. Through hard work, dedication, and a relentless pursuit of knowledge, Isack has successfully navigated the legal industry by providing valuable and easy-to-understand legal information to 500,000+ individuals of all levels of understanding.