Kansas Adoption Guide

Kansas is actually flatter than a pancake.

Kansas measures in a .9997 and a pancake comes in at .957 with a score of 1 being perfectly flat. Read the full explanation here

Kids in foster care available for adoption in 2012: 2,612     
Foster adoptions completed in 2012: 759      
International adoptions completed in 2012: 101    

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Adoption requirements in the state of Kansas are as follows:

Marital Status:  Can be single or married    
Finances: You will need enough to be able to support a bigger household.
Housing:  Your home just needs to be safe and include enough space for the child.
Work: You can continue to work. Be sure that you will provide adequate child care if needed.    
Personality: some important characteristics are stability, maturity, dependability, flexibility, and a sense of humor.
Other Requirements in Kansas: You must complete some training.      
DISQUALIFYING CRIMES:  Your criminal history will be reviewed during a home study to ensure you will be able to provide a safe environment for children.

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It’s essential to have a good network of family, friends, and neighbors to support you through your adoption process.

It’s also important to connect with other adoptive parents. You can begin making these connections in our forums. You may also want to consider joining a support group for adoptive parents.

Before you get started, click here to learn more about the overall process of adopting an infant in the United States. Then, because laws and processes vary from state to state, come back to get the details about adoption in Kansas.  

You can adopt either through an agency or an attorney.

Some people pursuing a private adoption find it beneficial to work with a professional adoption facilitator, an individual or organization that matches birth parents with adoptive parents in exchange for a fee. In Kansas an adoption agency can advertise even if they are not licensed by the state as long as they clearly mention this fact to hopeful adoptive parents. As of August 2015 Kansas statues limit the use of advertising to just prospective adoptive parents.

You can browse and read reviews about adoption service providers in Kansas here.     

For more information about picking an adoption agency, learn about the Top Fifteen Things to Look for In An Adoption Agency.

SOURCE: ChildWelfare.gov

Regardless of whether you complete your adoption, you will need to complete an adoption home study.

Your home study social worker will help educate you about adoption and ensure that you (and your partner, if applicable) meet the requirements outlined on slide four.

Click here to learn more about the Home Study process.

Advertising is allowed in Kansas.     

One of the most important things you can do while waiting for an adoption match is to let everyone know about your hope to adopt. Many adoption connections are made through word-of-mouth referrals.

If advertising is allowed in your state, creating a profile on Adoption.com Parent Profiles allows you to easily share your story with those considering placing their child for adoption. Features like videos and photos, posts, Pinterest-like favorites, and recommendations and endorsements make it easy to create a profile as unique as you are, increasing the likelihood that you will stand out and connect with that right person.

Rich communication options like video chat and instant messaging make connecting easy. A mobile-responsive design means that you will never be out of reach.
What’s more, Adoption.com receives over 650,000 monthly visits, which means your profile will receive unparalleled exposure. You can even view and monitor your progress through a detailed statistics page.

Ready to get started? Click here

Adoption Navigators provides you with quality expertise in sharing your dream of adopting. We provide unparalleled adoption marketing and one-on-one coaching to beautifully show expectant parents who you are and tell your story. With Adoption Navigators you receive premier advertising exposure on Adoption.com, assistance building your profile and creating a video, and expanded reach through social media and search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo!. Adoption.com has more than 16 years of experience helping families connect with potential birth parents.

Let us help you increase your exposure to potential birth parents and decrease your adoption wait time.

Click here to get started.

Creating a listing on Adoption.com Parent Profiles is an excellent way to connect with potential birth parents across the country. If you want to maximize your exposure to potential birth parents and receive personalized coaching and support, consider using Adoption Navigators. Coordinate these services with your adoption professional.

Parental rights must be relinquished before a child is considered legally free to be adopted. Birth mothers can consent to adoption 12 hours after the child is born. Once a petition is signed to relinquish parental rights courts have up to 6 months to grant the petition.

Kansas has a putative father registry. This is a way for men who feel they are the father of a child to register and be notified when their child is placed for adoption. Once an acknowledgement of paternity is established a permanent bond is created that establishes the father child relationship. This bond can only be broken in court.

A father who wants to revoke the acknowledgement of paternity must do so before the child is 1 year old, unless the father was under 18 when the acknowledgement of paternity was signed. In this case the father has until he turns 19 years old, even if the baby is older than 1. If the baby is older than 1 by the time the father revokes an acknowledgement to paternity the judge will decide what to do based on the child's best interests. The father will have to prove that a signed acknowledgment of paternity came under fraud or duress unless the father files to revoke within 60 days of signing a parental acknowledgement.

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Hopeful adoptive parents and/or an adoption agency may provide legal and living expenses for an expectant mother. There are, however, requirements governing such support.

In Kansas, only medical costs attributed to pregnancy and birth as well as reasonable living expenses are allowed. While there is no set amount on how much can be given to birth mothers during the adoption process all expenses will be accounted for in front of a judge.

SOURCE: KS Stat § 59-2121

Post-adoption contact agreements are not addressed in the state statutes.

While there is no required time period after placement, adoptions within Kansas generally take 1-6 months to finalize. You can finalize in-state or out-of-state. Consent is irrevocable upon signing unless the consenting party, prior to adoption finalization in court, proves that the consent was not given voluntarily. The burden of proof rests with the biological parents consenting to the adoption.

With private (usually domestic infant) adoptions, it is always possible to adopt a child within Kansas, even if you live in a different state.

The Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children (ICPC) was adopted in the 1960s to provide for oversight and protection of children placed for foster care or adoption between states.

If you are adopting a child from another state, you will need to receive permission from the ICPC office in the state where the child is from. Your agency or attorney will send the office copies of your home study and some other paperwork. They will need to approve your packet before you can bring your child home.

Read more about the ICPC here.

Before you get started, click here to familiarize yourself with the overall process of adopting children through foster care. Then, because laws and processes vary from state to state, come back here to get the details about foster adoption in Kansas. 

There are many children available for foster care in Kansas. Many of these children are looking for a forever family that will adopt them. You can see some of the children available in our photolisting here.

You can complete a foster adoption either through a private agency that is licensed to provide foster care services or directly through   the Department for Children and Families. Their website will lead you to their partner website where you can find the Kansas photolisting and get more information.

To find adoption agencies in Kansas and to read reviews, check out Adoption.com’s Reviews page for Kansas. 

You will still need to complete a home study as part of this process.

In order to become part of the foster care system, you will need to complete training.

After you have become part of the foster system, you can receive children into your home. The plan for many of these children is to reunified with their families, but when that is no longer an option, they may become legally free for adoption.

In some cases, children who are considered "legal risk" might come into your home. These placements are children whose parents have not yet terminated their parental rights. These children are not considered legally free for adoption, but may be in the future.

You should be able to petition to finalize your adoption soon after placement. Finalization could take anywhere between 0-6 months.

Post adoption contact agreements are not addressed by the Kansas state statutes.

Adoption assistance is available for qualifying adoptions. If you are adopting a child who has special needs as defined here, you may be able to receive some adoption assistance.    

The Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children (ICPC) was adopted in the 1960s to provide for oversight and protection of children placed for foster care or adoption between states.

If you are adopting a child from another state, you will need to receive permission from the ICPC office in the state where the child is from. Your agency or attorney will send the office copies of your home study and some other paperwork. They will need to approve your packet before you can bring your child home.

Read more about the ICPC here.

Before you get started, click here to familiarize yourself with the overall process of international adoption. Then, because laws and processes vary from state to state, come back here to get the details about international adoption in Kansas.

There are millions of beautiful children across the world who are hoping to find a forever family.

Click here to meet some of them through our Photolisting.

With international adoptions, your only choice is to complete your adoption through an agency. Because of the Universal Accreditation Act, all adoption agencies completing international adoptions are required to be credentialed according to federal standards. Make sure to check with any agency before working with them to ensure they have this accreditation in place!

In selecting an international adoption agency, there are Four Essential Criteria you should probably consider. Click  here - link to Adoption.com/reviews for state    to browse through reviews of adoption agencies in Kansas.

In order to be approved to adopt internationally, you will need to complete an international adoption-specific home study.

You need to make sure your agency is licensed to perform international adoptions. Adoptions finalized abroad should be recognized by Kansas.

You will also need to request a U.S. birth certificate for your child.

Read more about post-adoption requirements in the Kansas Adoption Wiki.

Before you get started, click here to familiarize yourself with the overall process of stepparent adoption. Then, because laws and processes vary from state to state, come back here to get the details about stepparent adoption in Kansas.

In order for you to adopt the child of your spouse, the corresponding biological parent’s rights will first need to be terminated, either voluntarily or involuntarily.

You will need to consult with an adoption attorney about your desire to adopt. He/she can help you decide if it’s likely that the biological parent would be willing to relinquish rights OR if it would be feasible to pursue involuntary termination of his/her parental rights.

Once parental rights have been terminated, you can file a petition to adopt with the courts. You and your spouse will both testify in court regarding the stability of your marital relationship, the bond you’ve developed with your stepchild, and your desire to become the legal parent of your stepchild.

You will generally not be required to complete a background check or home study as part of the stepparent adoption process.

Adoption Forums    

Kansas Adoption Wiki

Parent Profiles
   
Adoption Stories

Adopt Kansas Kids

Kansas Department of Children and Families

Legal Risk Adoption

Kansas Adoption Policies

Child Welfare Information Gateway