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Simple English definitions for legal terms
joint adoption
Read a random definition: contingent beneficiary
A quick definition of joint adoption:
Joint adoption is when two people who are not the biological parents of a child become the child's legal parents. This happens when a judge decides that the child is an orphan or has been abandoned, or when the biological parents' rights have been taken away. When someone is adopted, they become part of a new family with all the same rights and responsibilities as if they were born into that family. Joint adoption is different from fostering or taking care of a child temporarily. It is a special way of making a family that is recognized by the law.
A more thorough explanation:
Joint adoption is a legal process where two people, usually a couple, adopt a child together. It creates a parent-child relationship between the child and both adoptive parents, with all the rights and responsibilities that come with it.
Before a joint adoption can take place, it must be determined that the child is an orphan, has been abandoned, or that the biological parents' parental rights have been terminated by court order.
For example, a married couple may decide to adopt a child together. They would both become legal parents of the child and have equal rights and responsibilities for their care and upbringing.
Joint adoption is different from single adoption, where only one person adopts the child. It is also different from fostering, where a child is placed in a temporary home for care and support.