A Birth Father and His Involvement in the Adoption Process
While including the birth father in the adoption process can seem intimidating, with the right resources and mindset it can be easy and beneficial for everyone involved. Nothing will be done without the birth mother’s consent, and Adoption Choices of Texas will work with you to develop a plan that suits you and your child’s needs. In the following dialogue we will go over a few questions that might arise, as well as give a bit of insight into what an adoption plan that involves the birth father could look like.
Birth Father by Definition
Put simply, a birth father is the biological father of a child. In the adoption industry, there are two different kinds of birth fathers — those who are known and unknown. Whether he is known or not, however, a birth father is the legal parent of the child being placed for adoption. Just as you need to relinquish your parental rights to the prospective adoptive parents, the birth father must do the same in order for the adoption to be legally finalized.
If you know who the birth father is, it’s important to provide this information to your adoption caseworker as you begin the adoption process. A known birth father can be one who you are still in a relationship in, married to or still on speaking terms with. Your relationship status or level of contact with him may dictate how much or how little he is involved in the adoption process.
If, on the other hand, the birth father is unknown, we still do our due diligence to find him and follow legal procedures with this. Our in-house counsel can help answer any questions or concerns you have about this process. It is not uncommon for an unknown birth father to be unaware of the adoption taking place. However, it is still important that an attempt be made to locate him and let him know.
Birth Fathers and the Adoption Process
- How can a birth father become involved in the adoption process?
If you and the birth father are still together, and you both agree that placing your child for adoption is the best decision, the birth father can work with you and Adoption Choices of Texas during the decision making process. He can also be there to support and encourage you as you both move forward in the adoption journey together.
If you don’t want him involved, or he chooses to not be present, that’s ok too. Whatever is best and most comfortable for the two of you is what matters.
- Can he have contact with the child post adoption?
With your consent, the birth father can request to be a part of an open adoption agreement. This allows him the potential of having contact with the child after the adoption has been finalized. While the interaction is unique for every situation, we understand that many birth fathers want to make sure their child is being raised in a safe and healthy environment and to get to know them, if possible.
- Can he find out what has happened to the adopted child?
If the birth father surfaces after the adoption has been finalized and wants to know what happened to the child, he will need to go through Adoption Choices of Texas to get any and all information. Depending on his situation and the reason why he wants to know, we may or may not disclose information to him. We will not share any details that either you or the adoptive parents have not permitted us to.
- What if you are unable to find the birth father?
As mentioned earlier, we will do everything that we can to locate the birth father at the start of the adoption process. If we are still unable to locate him we can continue the process regardless, even while we continue to search.
A Birth Father’s Involvement in the Adoption Process
We want it to be clear that without your expressed consent, the birth father will remain relatively uninvolved with the adoption process. If he does not come forward after we’ve made an attempt to contact or find him, or if he declines a part in the adoption process, an adoption can still take place. Therefore, his involvement or lack thereof should not be seen as a deterrent when placing your child for adoption.
No matter what, Adoption Choices of Texas is here to support you every step of the way. Whether the birth father is known or unknown, we will make sure that your adoption journey goes smoothly and successfully. Call expectant parent hotline. 945-444-0333 Call or Text | Available 24 hours a day, including weekends!! You can also email here!
Meet the Author: Elijah Weiner is currently studying English and East Asian Studies at Denison University, and spends the majority of his free time reading a good science fiction book. His interest has always been in fiction, so whether he is reading or writing it is always based upon the imaginary world.
Elijah lives in Boulder, Co and spends his free time reading or bicycling outdoors.
