If you want to adopt a child in Virginia, congratulations! However, you should be aware of the fact that this is a complex process that involves many critical steps, most of which are legal issues that must be fulfilled before you adopt a child. Therefore, it’s guaranteed that the adoption process will succeed.
This is why you need the assistance of a qualified and experienced Virginia Beach adoption attorney to help you complete the process successfully. Your lawyer will help understand what is required to adopt a child in Virginia. Sadly, the adoption process may fail even with all these efforts. So, even as you familiarize yourself with the whole child adoption process in Virginia, you need to be aware of the scenarios that could cause your adoption efforts to be unsuccessful.
Common Reasons Why Your Child Adoption Process May Fail
There are numerous reasons why a child adoption process may be unsuccessful. This can be devastating since many potential adoptive parents want the process to go on smoothly so that they can begin developing a relationship with their adopted child immediately.
Knowing why a child adoption process may fail helps you to avoid those pitfalls and realize your dreams without delay. Here, we’ll explore the main reasons why your child adoption efforts may be unsuccessful.
A Mismatch
Every adoptive parent gets into child adoption with high expectations hoping to develop an overwhelming bond with their adopted child. Unfortunately, this wish doesn’t always come true. Sometimes you may fail to develop a healthy relationship with your adopted child, creating a mismatch. This might leave you feeling guilty and ashamed.
No one gets into child adoption believing that they won’t be able to love or develop an attachment with the adopted child. Sometimes, you may not be the one to blame for the lack of affection and there’s nothing much you can do to convince your adopted child to love you. When this happens, the best thing to do is to contact your adoption agency for help.
You should also have realistic expectations when adopting a child in Virginia Beach, VA. Don’t expect too much from your adopted child because no child should be expected to show gratitude to their parents. Unfortunately, many adoptive parents succumb to the temptations to faintly expect gratitude from their adopted kids, especially when they try so hard to provide them with everything they need.
So, when their adopted children don’t reciprocate with gratitude, they become resentful. This creates a rift between them and their adopted children, causing their adoption efforts to fail. A failed adoption match can also occur if the surrogate parent decides to keep the child after birth. When this happens, you no longer have legal claim over the child, even if you had already finalized the adoption with the birth parent.
Disrupted Adoption
Disrupted adoption occurs when you adopt a child from a foster home and then you discover that you aren’t fully prepared for the adoption or you’re not well trained to give the child the love and affection they need. This usually happens when you adopt an older child or a child with mental or physical challenges.
Disrupted adoption may also happen when you adopt a child who has already been placed in a home before the adoption is finalized per the adoption law in Virginia. In such a situation, the child may be placed with a new adoptive parent or taken back into their previous foster home. Either way, your adoption efforts will be halted.
Dissolved Adoption
A child can be dissolved even when the whole adoption has been finalized. Although this hardly happens, it can occur in extreme cases, especially when you are no longer able to provide the adopted child with their needs. For instance, if the child has special needs and you are unable to cater to those needs due to a lack of resources, high costs, or lack of training, the adoption can be dissolved.
When this happens, the adopted child will be placed back into foster care or be placed with new adoptive parents who can provide them with the special care they need. You can instruct your adoption lawyer in Virginia Beach to begin the process of dissolving the adoption if you aren’t in a position to take care of your adopted child.
Contested Adoption
Your efforts to adopt a child in Virginia may fail if someone challenges the adoption. For instance, if one of the biological parents of a child opposes the adoption, it will be very difficult for the process to succeed. Sometimes, one parent may later claim that they were pressured to consent, putting the adoption process in jeopardy.
Therefore, you must be aware of these hurdles so that you can figure out how to avoid them before you begin the adoption process. If you need a lawyer to help you adopt a child in Virginia Beach, Coastal Virginia Law is ready to help!