Public Agency Adoption

Foster care adoptions come through a public agency, such as the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Once a child has been removed from his or her home, DHHS will place the child into a foster care home. If the situation is not resolved and the child is not returned to his or her family, DHHS will initiate court proceedings to terminate the parents' rights. If DHHS obtains guardianship, the child will frequently be placed for adoption with the foster parents who have cared for her. The child may also be adopted by a relative such as a grandmother or aunt. The adoption thereafter proceeds by filing the Petition for Adoption and navigating the court system until the adoption is finalized similar to the private agency adoption.

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