For information regarding step-parent adoption, contact your local probation department. The ICPC is an agreement among the states to provide for movement of children across state boundaries for purposes of foster care or adoption. The compact governs adoptive placements of children between states, including independent adoptions. ICPC procedures must be followed and requirements met before children can be placed in another state. Click on ICPC for more information.
Adoption is the permanent legal assumption of all parental rights and responsibilities for a child.
Adoptive parents have the same legal rights and responsibilities as parents whose children are born to them. Guardianship establishes responsibility, which is not permanent, for caring for and financially supporting a child and may be subject to ongoing supervision of the court.