In North Carolina, any person over the age of eighteen may adopt another individual, unless the parties are spouses of one another. A child may be placed for adoption either directly through the child’s parent or through a licensed adoption agency. Once a child is placed with the prospective adoptive parent or parents, a petition for adoption must be filed within thirty days. As part of the adoption process, a pre-placement assessment of the petitioner is conducted by the county department of social services or by another agency licensed by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
Once the required consents and notices are obtained in accordance with Chapter 48 of the North Carolina General Statutes, the agency prepares and files a written report with the court. This report assists the court in determining whether the proposed adoption is in the best interest of the child. Unless the petition is contested or involves an adult adoption, the court may proceed without a formal hearing. If the court determines that the adoption serves the best interests of the adoptee, the petition will be granted. Once the adoption decree is entered, a legal parent-child relationship is established between the adoptee and the adoptive parent, and the adoptee assumes the same legal status as a natural child of the adoptive parent or parents.
