Co-Parent Adoption

Greenlight Family Services believes that family is everything. Each family looks different, loves different, and came to be in different ways.

One thing all families have in common is the need to be legally protected as a family. Within the LGBTQ+ community, it is often in the parents’ best interests to pursue a co-parent adoption (sometimes called second- parent adoption) for their child(ren). While both parents are most likely already providing care and parenting the child(ren), oftentimes only one parent has legal parental rights even if both names occur on the birth certificate. Through Greenlight Legal Services, a co-parent adoption will formally recognize the co-parent legally with all the same parental rights as the birth parent. With the birth parent’s consent, co-parent adoption gives the adoptive parent the same rights and responsibilities to make decisions regarding the children’s safety and well-being forever.

While it may not sound consequential to become legally recognized as a family, it becomes exceptionally important when traumatic events occur in a family. Without being legally recognized as a parent, the co-parent does not have any more legal rights than a stranger would, regardless of how long the parent has been living with and caring for that child. Completing a co-parent adoption through Greenlight Legal Services protects the family and allows them to focus on their loved ones rather than a custody battle. Co-parent adoption protects everyone involved if events such as sickness, death, separation or divorce occur. It allows parents to continue providing care and making important decisions for their children.