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 New Jersey, adoption is governed by state statutes that outline the legal process by which an individual or couple becomes the legal parent(s) of a child. This process involves terminating the parental rights of the child's biological parents and transferring those rights and responsibilities to the adoptive parents. The New Jersey adoption process requires the filing of a petition with the court, background checks, home studies, and sometimes the consent of the child if they are of a certain age. The court will consider the best interests of the child in making an adoption decision. Once the adoption is finalized, the adoptive parents have the same rights and responsibilities as if the child were born to them, and the child gains the right to inherit from the adoptive parents. The process is overseen by the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCP&P) when it involves children in the foster care system, or by private agencies and attorneys when it involves private adoptions.