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 Delaware, adoption is governed by Title 13 of the Delaware Code, which outlines the legal process for adopting a child. This process involves terminating the parental rights of the child's biological parents and establishing a new, permanent legal relationship between the adoptive parents and the child. The adoptive parents assume full legal responsibility for the child's welfare, including health, safety, and financial support. The process requires a petition to be filed in Family Court, and it typically involves home studies, background checks, and sometimes post-placement supervision to ensure the child's best interests are being met. The court must find that the adoption is in the best interest of the child before it can be finalized. Once an adoption is finalized, the adoptive parents have the same rights and responsibilities as if the child were born to them, and the child gains inheritance rights and other legal rights associated with being a member of the adoptive family.