• Adoption is a life-long commitment to a child by legally becoming their parent.
• The agency must first be granted permanent custody of the child by Juvenile Court. This occurs once it is determined by the court that reunification efforts have failed and that it would not be in the best interest of the child to be reunited with their biological parents.
• An adoptive family may be a relative, a foster parent, or another family who is approved and licensed to adopt.