Adoption Adoption is an alternative method for adding children to a family. Legally, adoption is a two-stage process. The first stage involves the determination that a child is eligible for adoption. This means that the child is no longer a member of her previous family. The second stage is the legal addition of the child into the adoptive family.
Children become available for adoption in several ways.
The child's parents have died, or the parents have surrendered the child, or a court has terminated the rights of the child's parents. In law, adoptions are classified as family , stepparent , or non-relative adoptions. Family adoptions are the most preferred in the law. This is the case because of the child's interest in retaining a relationship with his or her blood family. When no qualified or willing family member is available, or where the child has been in long-term foster placemen, this preference for family adoption will be superceded.