How Does Adoption Work in South Carolina?

In South Carolina, single, married, or divorced individuals can also become adoptive parents. To adopt a child, you must:

• Be able to work full time, in addition to owning or renting a living space;
• Be at least 21 years old and a South Carolina resident;
• Be able to meet the emotional and financial needs of your family, including your adoptive child (as determined by adoption professionals).

How your adoption proceeds largely depends on whether you choose to adopt from a private adoption agency, the South Carolina foster care system, or internationally.

Adopting from a private adoption agency could make it easier to adopt an infant or give you a greater opportunity to communicate with the adoptive child's biological parents. Most private adoption agencies request that parents follow a similar process as they would when adopting from a foster home.

To adopt from a foster home in South Carolina, you must:

• Apply to become an adoptive parent through Heartfelt Calling. This process includes filling out paperwork and completing a background check with Heartfelt Calling. An Adoption Specialist from the South Carolina Department of Social Services (DSS) will help you fill out the necessary forms to determine whether you're eligible to become a prospective adoptive parent.
• Attend foster and adoptive parenting training sessions. These sessions are currently virtual in light of the COVID-19 pandemic but will likely open up for in-person attendance in the future.
• After completing all the necessary adoptive parent training, an Adoption Specialist will come to your home and complete a home study. This determines whether the DSS believes your home is safe for an adoptive child to inhabit and provides a living space that will enable your adoptee to thrive. A Fire and DHEC inspection are part of this process.
• If you pass the home study, a Certified Adoption Investigator will work with you to determine whether you and your partner (if you have one) are capable of providing for an adoptive child's emotional and financial needs.
• At this point, if the Adoption Investigator approves you as a prospective adoptive parent, you may be matched with a child. You then have the opportunity to accept or deny an interview with that child.
• Once you interview a child you feel is a good fit for your family, you will enter a transitional period where they spend visits and time with you in your home to determine whether the adoption should proceed.
• Finally, once you and the child are sure you want to follow through with the adoption, you can finalize it in family court and welcome your new child into your life.

Our Greenville adoption lawyers will work with you to handle the legal aspects of your adoption case, enabling you to spend more time and effort focusing on creating the perfect environment for your new family member.

To schedule a consultation with our team, contact us online or via phone at (704) 286-0570.