Adoption Connection Staff Links Frequently asked Questions on Finalizing an Adoption 1. An agency adoption is final approximately six months after the birthparents terminate their rights.
Finalization occurs in court when a judge issues the final adoption decree.
At that point, the adoptive parents become the legal parents of the child. In a agency adoption, after a birthmother signs a relinquishment terminating her parental rights, she has 24 hours in which to reverse her decision. However, once the papers are sent to the Department of Social Services, the birthmother may not revoke her decision unless she can prove that she was either lied to or forced into signing a relinquishment. In an agency adoption, a birthmother can sign a relinquishment anytime after she is discharged from the hospital and feels physically and emotionally ready. Counseling during pregnancy can help a birthmother make a clear decision about placing her baby, and the majority of birthmothers terminate their rights within the first week after their babies are born.