Those in Knoxville that are familiar with Kenutcky’s foster care system and the adoption process as a whole likely know that it is anything but simple. Ultimately, however, those participating in it hold out the hope that the circumstances will align to allow kids that need homes to be adopted by loving families looking to take them in. Yet even in some rare cases, an adoption may not signal the end of this process. A number of different issues may arise that can cause family courts to reopen cases and potentially remove children from the homes they have come to accept as their own.
Several different factors have served to complicate an Ohio adoption case that was recently heard by the local District Court of Appeals. After having submitted a petition to adopt the young girl they were fostering in their home county, a couple had to submit to her being removed from their home by officials from another county, who turned her over to the custody of her aunt. The aunt had claimed that the couple’s home county court did not let her intervene in the adoption even though she was the child’s guardian. A decision by the state Supreme Court late last year returned the girl to her adoptive family. In its decision, the Appellate Court stated that the aunt’s status as the child’s legal custodian did not afford her the right to block a potential adoption.
Even though families looking to adopt may be forced to endure legal battles like the one described above, the potential result of gaining a new family member may make the struggle worth it. Those needing assistance with this process may find it in the form of a family law attorney.
Source: Lima Ohio “‘Bring Maddy Home’ adoption upheld in appellate court” Kelly, Craig, July 20, 2017