Agency adoption includes any adoption facilitated by a public government agency, and may include some types of inter-family (within the family) adoptions, adoption of non-related individuals, and the following types of adoptions commonly handled by state government agencies:
In West Virginia, foster agency adoptions of wards of the state are facilitated by various divisions of the West Virginia welfare and social services system and include:
West Virginia Department of Health & Human Resources (WVDHHR)
West Virginia Bureau for Children and Families (BCF)
West Virginia Child Protective Services (CPS)
There is a waiting period before adoption can be filled with joy and anticipation for potential adoptive parents. Even though it may seem like an eternity, it can be helpful to keep in mind that there must be a termination of parental rights before Child Protective Services can transfer the child’s case to the adoption unit with your foster care agency. The foster care agency will be provided with a number of important and essential documents which will be included in the adoption packet. Then the agency will complete a Child Summary for your foster child which may take several months. In addition, the agency will have to obtain the necessary consent from the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. You can rest assured and confident that as soon as your Adoption Attorney, Fran Whiteman, receives the entire adoption packet, she will be calling you to say she has your adoption petition prepared and ready for you to review. Upon your inspection of the petition and approval, Fran will meet with you, and have you sign a Verification to indicate that the petition and all information contained therein is true and correct. Upon the filing of the adoption petition with the Court, Fran will call the judge’s office and schedule your hearing date at the earliest possible time according to the Court’s docket.
Fran has routinely worked with all of the foster care agencies in the State of West Virginia. Attorney Fran Whiteman works hard to ensure all paperwork and compliance issues are handled promptly, so you can rest assured that your adoption is moving forward as efficiently as possible.
