Indiana Adoption Lawyers
Helping Families Navigate Every Legal Step Toward Adoption.
Adoption can expand a family or make an existing parent-child relationship legally official. Custom Law helps prospective parents understand Indiana requirements, consent issues, home studies, placement, contested proceedings, and finalization.
Adoption Under Indiana Law
Indiana adoption law is found in Title 31 of the Indiana Code. A prospective adoptive parent may be single, married, or divorced and may already have children or be becoming a parent for the first time.
Prospective Parent Requirements
- Financial ability and adequate room to add a child to the household
- Fingerprinting and a background check
- Required training and agency-specific preparation
- A home study, also called a Family Preparation Assessment
The child must be legally eligible for adoption. Parental consent is generally required unless rights were terminated or a statutory exception applies because of abandonment, failure to support or communicate, unfitness, incompetence, unestablished paternity, or another qualifying circumstance.
Types of Adoption
- Private, relative, kinship, foster-parent, and same-sex partner adoption
- Agency and interstate adoption
- International adoption requiring compliance with Indiana, federal, and foreign law
- Stepparent adoption
Consent and Stepparent Adoption
A stepparent seeking to adopt a spouse’s child must determine whether the other parent’s consent is required. Consent may be unnecessary in certain circumstances, including abandonment for more than six months, failure to support for more than one year, failure to communicate significantly for more than one year, unfitness, or prior termination of parental rights.
The noncustodial parent must receive notice of the petition and may contest the adoption. At a contested hearing, the petitioner must establish both that a legal exception permits the case to proceed without consent and that adoption is in the child’s best interests.
Preparation and Placement
Applicants through the Indiana Adoption Program must complete 26 hours of adoption-preparation training. A home study evaluates whether the prospective parents can meet the child’s needs. Agency matching may take months or years, and families should understand the biological parents’ remaining rights before placement.
From Petition to Final Hearing
- Complete the application, required training, background review, and home study.
- Address parental consent and any necessary termination-of-rights issues.
- Proceed through matching and placement when the child is not already identified.
- Participate in post-placement monitoring and social-worker visits.
- File the adoption petition and complete the required court paperwork.
- Attend the final hearing after legal requirements are satisfied.
In many cases, finalization may occur within one year after placement. Accurate paperwork and early attention to consent issues can help avoid preventable delay.
Focused on What Matters Most
What to Expect from Custom Law
Family matters require practical advice, careful preparation, and an understanding of how today’s decisions will affect children, finances, and relationships later. We develop a strategy around your objectives while preparing for negotiation, mediation, or court.
Individual Strategy
Your family, priorities, and risks shape the plan rather than a standard form or one-size-fits-all approach.
Candid Guidance
We explain realistic options, likely tradeoffs, and the information needed to make informed decisions.
Negotiation and Trial Readiness
We seek workable agreements while preparing the evidence and arguments needed when court becomes necessary.
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What Our Clients Say
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