At GALAA, we're here to advocate for good adoption policies. Here are some of the Georgia Adoption Laws you should know about.
GEORGIA ADOPTION LAWS
Since the passage of Senate Bill 172, completion of an Adoption Home Study is necessary for all prospective adoptive families prior to a child being placed in their home.
Licensed adoption agencies in GA have historically completed adoptive home studies for families going through the agency adoption process and thus, have the experience and skill for doing home studies to prepare families for adoption and gather information to make sure these families are appropriate and safe families for children.
GALAA member agencies are all licensed child placing adoption agencies and can provide home study services for families. Prospective adoptive families can call any of the listed agencies to find out if they provide home study services and the fees that are connected to these services.
Preplacement home study bill passed by Georgia legislature
House Bill 159
House Bill 159 became effective September 1, 2018 and brought some important changes to state laws regarding adoption requirements. The most important updates are below.
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Previously, after surrendering parental rights to a child, the birth mother had 10 days to revoke her surrender. Under this new bill, a birth mother now has 4 days to revoke their surrender of parental rights.
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Under House Bill 159, individuals that are looking to adopt in the state of Georgia no longer have to be a resident for a minimum of 6 months.
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The age that adopted individuals must be in order to access the Georgia Adoption Reunion Registry has been lowered to 18 years old.
To review the bill in it's entirety, reference the following link;
http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20172018/172421.pdf
Georgia State Advertising Laws
Please be advised that individuals or organizations that are not licensed by the Department of Human Services as a Child Placing Agency are prohibited from advertising adoption services on any platform in the state of Georgia. If you are an individual that is planning on adopting children in the state of Georgia, please ensure that you are working with an agency that is licensed to avoid the risk of unethical practice.
To review the DHS notice, reference the following link;
https://dhs.georgia.gov/notice-updates-georgia-laws-impacting-adoption-advertisements