In my last post, Adoption Home Study: Child Abuser in Extended Family, I discussed the impact of having a child molester in the extended family on a person's ability to pass a home study. This post broadens the scope to having a lawbreaker of any kind in the extended family. Will you still be able to adopt if you have lawbreakers in your family?

As with having a child abuser in the extended family, the short answer to the question is yes – You can still adopt a child even if your extended family members are not law-abiding citizens. That being said, you need to show that you live your life differently from your extended family and that you will take measures to protect your adopted child from the actions of your extended family.

For example, if you have several extended family members who have been convicted of drug trafficking, the social worker is not going to want you routinely holding onto packages for these family members. You will need to show that your family members' actions are far-removed from your own.

The social worker will want to hear that you do not plan to let lawbreakers baby sit your child if their actions are dangerous to the child. You might be allowed to let a grandmother who committed forgery to baby sit, but you would not want to leave your child with someone convicted of aggravated assault who is currently taking anger management classes while on probation. You need to convince the social worker that you appreciate the gravity of what your relative did and that you do not agree with the choices that your relative made.

You will also need to tell the social worker what steps you plan to take to protect your child from your lawbreaking family members. If you moved across the country to get away, the social worker will likely have fewer concerns than if you live next door to your extended family. If your extended family member was convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol, you would want to make clear that this relative would not be allowed to transport your child in a car.

While social workers want to approve most couples to adopt, they have a responsibility to the child, as well as to the birth family, to make sure they are placing the child into a safe home. The more active those lawbreaking family members are in your life, the more red flags the social worker is going to see. You need to show the social worker that your extended family's choices are not your own and that you will provide your child with a safe home environment.

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Background Concerns

Photo credit: Lynda Bernhardt