ADOPTION IN
Connecticut
Domestic Infant Adoptions can be completed through private adoption attorneys or adoption agencies to help them adopt a child domestically. Click here for a directory of adoption service providers in Connecticut.
International Adoptions must be completed through private adoption attorneys or adoption agencies to help them adopt a child internationally. Find an international adoption service provider here.
Foster Care Adoptions in Connecticut can be completed by the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (800-842-6347).
Gallery of children waiting to be adopted.
Join the New England adoption group in our community!
The information contained on this website is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional legal advice. Always seek the advice of a licensed and qualified professional. While the content of this website is frequently updated, information changes rapidly and therefore, some information may be out of date, and/or contain inaccuracies, omissions or typographical errors.
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Can I Adopt in Connecticut?
Applicants must be at least 21 years old. The home must be a stable environment, and the parents must make enough money to support a family. Parents can own or rent, but there must be at least 2 bedrooms in the home. Applicants must be willing to pass a background check, attend a 10 week training session if fostering, and complete a homestudy.
What Adoption Regulations Exist in Connecticut?
Advertising: Any birth parent may advertise in Connecticut using any type of media for the placement of his/her child for the purposes of adoption. Any hopeful adoptive parent may advertise in Connecticut using any type of media for placement of a child in his/her care for the purposes of adoption.
Any person who permanently transfers the legal or physical custody of a child younger than 16 for money or any item of value, or any person who accepts a child younger than 16 in exchange for money or any item of value, shall be guilty of a felony.
Relinquishment: Consent cannot be given until 48 hours after the birth of the child. Parents can file a motion with the court to set aside termination of parental rights at any time before the final decree of adoption in court.
Birth parent expenses: Counseling expenses within 72 hours of birth, living expenses not to exceed $1,500, and reasonable telephone charges/maternity clothing expenses.
Post-adoption contact agreements: Contact agreements in the state of Connecticut are legally enforceable.
Birth father rights: There is a paternity registry for fathers in Connecticut. Fathers wishing to take part in adoption proceedings can, at any time (but no later than 60 days after receiving notice of adoption proceedings), file a claim of paternity on forms provided by the district court where the mother resides.
Finalization: Out of 482 adoptions in 2014 the average time between termination of parental rights and adoption finalization was 10.4 months (acf.hhs.gov).
Is Adoption Assistance Available in Connecticut?
Many of the children waiting to be adopted in Connecticut have special needs. Federal (Title IV-E) and state (non-IV-E) programs exist to help adoptive parents meet their child’s needs. In Connecticut, monthly payments range from $26-28.52 per day. If your child is deemed “medically complex” the maximum rate is $47.10 per day. To see if your child qualifies for adoption assistance, please visit NACAC.org.
Can I adopt a Child from another country?
It is always possible to adopt a child from another country, even if you live in the U.S. In Connecticut, readoption (the process by which a U.S. state court issues a final adoption decree separate from a foreign adoption decree stating that the child has been legally adopted according to the laws of a particular state) is an option, but not a requirement.
However, only when the readoption or validation of a foreign adoption decree occurs can the child receive a U.S. birth certificate (ChildWelfare.gov). For more information on how to adopt a child internationally, be sure to contact your local adoption agency.
State Contacts
Gallery of children waiting to be adopted: https://adoption.com/photolisting?page=1&search_type=region&range=UnitedStates
State subsidy contact person:
Sarah Gibson
Deanna McIntosh
Jacqueline Watford
Department of Children and Families (DCF)
Office of Children and Youth in Placement
505 Hudson Street
Hartford, CT 06105
860-550-6593 (Jacqueline Watford)
Sarah.Gibson@ct.gov
Deanna.mcintosh@ct.gov
Summary
Adoptions in Connecticut can be completed by the Connecticut Department of Children and Families.
Applicants must be at least 21 years old. Parents can own or rent. There must be at least 2 bedrooms in the home. Applicants must pass a background check, attend a 10 week training session, and complete a homestudy.
Birth parents may advertise for the placement of their child for the purposes of adoption. Hopeful adoptive parents may advertise for placement of a child in their care for the purposes of adoption.
Consent cannot be given until 48 hours after birth. Parents can revoke consent any time before the final adoption decree.
The following expenses are permitted: counseling, living, telephone charges, and maternity clothing expenses. Contact agreements are legally enforceable. There is a paternity registry for unmarried fathers in Connecticut.
The average time between TPR and adoption finalization in 2014 was 10.4 months.
