If you wish to adopt or foster a child in Memphis, it does not matter if you are married, single or divorced but you must be over 21 years old. You do not need to own your own home, you can be renting and it is not important whether or not you have children of your own. You can also be unemployed, but if you are not in employment you must be able to prove that you have sufficient income to be able to meet your needs. Finally you must reside in the State of Tennessee.
If you wish to adopt a child using the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, you will be asked to complete a special course which is known as PATH. PATH stands for Parents as Tender Healers and is a short process, around 23 hours, of education and self assessment which helps to identify which would be the best situations for your to parent by exploring the needs of the children and how best to address them.
The next stage is that a licensed child placement agency will carry out a home study visit, and the way this will be carried out depends on which agency you decide to work with. Basically it looks at information about you, your family and your environment and in addition, teaches you about what foster and adoption will really entail. A report will then be written, describing you and your family together with financial statements, references and medical records. At this stage you will be asked to describe exactly what type of child you feel that you can best offer a home to.
Though it may not be required for Memphis couples to hire a family law attorney during the adoption process, it is nevertheless advised. Adoptions can be very complicated, and especially as it relates to potential problems which may arise after the adoption, getting the paperwork right is vital.
