Adoption is the legal process in which a person assumes responsibility for the health, safety, well-being, and financial support of another person—usually a child—and terminates the rights and responsibilities of the adopted person’s biological parent or parents.
In Colorado, adoption is governed by state statutes that outline the legal process for establishing a permanent legal parent-child relationship between an adoptive parent and a child. This process involves the termination of the biological parents' legal rights and responsibilities and the granting of those rights and responsibilities to the adoptive parents. The Colorado Children's Code, specifically Title 19, Article 5, provides the framework for adoption proceedings, including eligibility requirements for adoptive parents, consent procedures, home studies, and post-adoption contact agreements. The process is overseen by the courts, and it requires a legal proceeding in which a judge must determine that the adoption is in the best interests of the child. Once an adoption is finalized, the adoptive parents have the same rights and obligations as biological parents, and the adopted child gains inheritance rights and the legal status of a biological child.