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Guardianship / Adoption?

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  • 11-07-2012 7:13pm
    #1
    Ms_OBT
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8 ✭


    Hi,
    I'm lookin for anyone who found themselves in a similar situation and can give some advice.

    I am married with a 9 year old daughter from a previous relationship. She has never met her biological dad - he never expressed interest in keeping in touch, and I am firmly of the opinion that stable male presence in my daughter's life is more important than her biological father's whim. As a result, she's grown up thinking that my husband is her father and I would now like to have this fact formalised, i.e. I'd like him to share legal guardianship by becoming her adoptive father and possibly giving my daughter his surname.

    I wonder whether this is possible and if so what the procedure is.

    I am very keen to stress that my daughter's biological father has not been in touch with us since her birth 9 years ago, he has not paid any maintenance or expressed an interest in seeing her. I also have to add that I am not an Irish citizen (my husband is) and have no direct family living in Ireland (although we are very close to my husband's family). As such, should anything happen to me, my daughter would probably have to go live with my family outside Ireland, which of course would not be an acceptable situation to my husband.

    If anyone has any advice on how we should go about formalising my husband's role in my daughter's life it would be much appreciated!

    Thank you!


Comments

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    #2
    PammyD
    Registered Users Posts: 93 ✭✭PammyD


    A guy i know adopted his wifes child from a previous relationship, what it entailed i do not know. The best thing in my opinion would be to seek legal advice on this matter or have a look in ur local library for a book by Jim Nestor called An Introduction To Irish Family Law


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    #3
    January
    Closed Accounts Posts: 23,862 ✭✭✭✭January


    Step-parent adoption
    A step-parent adoption occurs when a child is adopted by a married couple, one of whom is the natural parent of the child (usually the mother) while the other is not. Both the natural parent and the step-parent must adopt the child in order to avoid the natural parent losing his/her rights and responsibilities to the child. If a child was born within a previous marriage, where the natural parent has now remarried following a divorce or the death of his/her spouse, the child is not eligible for adoption. There is more information on step-parent adoption on the Adoption Authority's website.

    http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/birth_family_relationships/adoption_and_fostering/adopting_a_child.html

    The Adoption Authority of Ireland


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