ADOPTION IN
Kansas
Domestic Infant Adoptions can be completed through adoption agencies and attorneys. They can help one adopt a child domestically. Click here to connect with an adoption professional.
International Adoptions must be completed through adoption agencies and attorneys. They can help one adopt a child internationally. Click here to learn more about international adoption.
Foster Care Adoptions in Kansas can be completed through the Department of Children and Families (877-530-5275).
Gallery of children waiting to be adopted.
Join the Kansas 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the content of this website is frequently updated, information changes rapidly and therefore, some information may be out of date, and/or contain inaccuracies, omissions or typographical errors.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 Kansas?
Applicants can be single, married, or divorced. You can own or rent a home. You don’t have to be wealthy to adopt. Instead, hopeful adoptive parents need a stable income to provide for a growing family. A 30 hour PS-MAPP training course is required in order to adopt or foster a child. Adoptive families will need to pass a home study letting caseworkers know you have been cleared to receive children into your home.
What Adoption Regulations Exist in Kansas?
Advertising: No person or organization other than a licensed child-placing agency shall advertise that they will adopt or place a child in an adoptive home. If another person does create an adoption advertisement, they are required to state whether or not they hold a current license, and where the license was issued from. § 59-2123(a)(1), (b)-(c)
Relinquishment: The birth mother cannot consent to the adoption until at least 12 hours after the birth of her child. Consent given before 12 hours after birth is voidable in court before a final adoption decree. Consent is final when executed unless, before the final adoption decree, the consenting party proves in court that consent came under fraud or duress. § 59-2114; 59-2116
Birth parent expenses: The following expenses may be made on behalf of the birth mother: actual medical expenses of the mother, medical expenses of the child, reasonable living expenses during pregnancy or as a result of the pregnancy. Expenses that are clearly excessive are banned in Kansas. § 59-2121(a); 59-2121(c)
Post-adoption contact agreements: Contact agreements are not legally enforceable in Kansas.
Birth father rights: Unmarried fathers wishing to receive notice of adoption proceedings may file an acknowledgement of paternity. When signed, the acknowledgement forms a permanent father child relationship that can only be broken in court. § 38-1138
Finalization: Out of 695 adoptions completed in 2014, the average time between termination of parental rights and adoption finalization was 16.1 months. (acf.hhs.gov)
Is Adoption Assistance Available in Kansas?
Many of the children waiting to be adopted in Kansas have special needs. Federal (Title IV-E) and state (non-IV-E) programs exist to help adoptive parents meet their child’s needs. In Kansas, the monthly amount ranges from $0-500. For more information on 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 United States. Children under 18 adopted from a Hague Convention country entering the U.S. with an IH-3 visa may automatically receive U.S. citizenship.
Children adopted from a non convention country must qualify as orphans before receiving U.S. citizenship. When U.S. citizens finalize an adoption abroad, they must apply to the USCIS for an IR-3 visa for the child. An IR-3 visa classifies the child as an immigrant and provides the child with citizenship upon arrival in the States.
Kansas gives full effect and recognition to adoptions completed abroad so long as the foreign adoption is filed with a Kansas state court.
State Contacts
Gallery of children waiting to be adopted:
https://adoption.com/photolisting?page=1&search_type=state&range=19
State subsidy contact:
Karen Wahlmeier
Department for Children and Family Services (DCF)
2601 S Oliver
Wichita KS, 67210
316-337-6355
Summary
Adoptions in Kansas can be completed through the Department of Children and Families.
Applicants can be single, married, or divorced. You can own or rent. Parents need a stable income. A 30 hour PS-MAPP training course is required. Applicants must pass a home study.
No person or organization other than a licensed child-placing agency shall advertise that they will adopt or place a child in an adoptive home.
Birth mothers must wait until at least 12 hours after birth before giving consent. Consent is final upon execution unless proved in court before the final adoption decree that consent came under fraud or duress.
The following expenses are permitted: medical expenses of the mother and child, and reasonable living expenses during pregnancy.
Contact agreements are not legally enforceable in Kansas. Unmarried fathers wishing to receive notice of adoption proceedings may file an acknowledgement of paternity.
