[Nuwisha]

Hello to all the big hearts here!

I'm currently doing research for a novel, and the background of it is in adoption and foster care/group homes. I have some specific scenarios and questions that I'm hoping I can get answered, because I don't want to go off cliche' or gossip I've heard about adoption or foster care. I did speak with some folks at an Indiana adoption center over the phone (Indiana is the state in which the story takes place; Indiana-specific law is helpful but not required), and they answered some of my questions. Since then, the story has evolved. Any help is appreciated! I definitely want to be accurate and believable.

My situation is this: A 14-year old boy was abandoned at the age of 2. No birth records, not in any missing persons police reports or databases, and no family stepped forward to claim him. A 26-year-old married couple is looking to adopt him. However, as the story moves forward, the boy's maternal grandfather appears and contests the adoption. It is proved that he is related to the boy, and the grandfather has more than financial comfort. He wants to become the boy's legal guardian, despite having had no contact with the boy for 14 years.

First, how many pre-adoption visitations happen? The boy is reluctant at first to accept the adoption from the couple; would the couple's adoption still go through if he didn't agree to it right away? Is it a paperwork-bureaucracy-tyranny thing or does the agreement have to be mutual between parties, even a party with a minor?

Now, after grandpa shows up: If the boy wanted to go with the couple who wants to adopt him, would his testimony have any bearing in court? Or would a social worker merely make the recommendation? Would the grandfather having a familial and genetic connection to the boy outweigh anything the adopting couple would have to offer? (For what it's worth, if finances or fees in arrears are an issue, assume the grandfather can and will pay them.)

Lastly, I think I need some clarity on orphanages and group homes and how children could end up there. I know that things like juvenile corrections and admissions into mental health facilities can act as black marks for a child. Are these places temporary in nature: where someone goes until a foster home can be found? Or do they act just like foster homes? I have done a little research on group homes, and from what I gathered they can act as halfway houses or a better environment for kids who might need monitoring (offering things like group therapy and tutoring.) However, I want to know if I'm right on that or not.

[sunshinemomma]

Sounds like a good book.....

You may want to cross post in the foster to adopt board for more responses

[omzig]

The foster coordinator in the area you are considering should be able to answer most of your questions. What you ask is really going to vary between counties, much less between states. Most areas consider children 12 or 13 old enough to have their opinions considered but it depends on the kid, the social workers, the judges, the guardian ad litem, etc. Your questions are specific so you should get some interesting answers!