How to Find Out if a Mother Gave Up Her Parental Rights to Her Child
- 1). Determine your reason for needing the information and your relationship to the mother or the child. Information regarding minors and termination of parental rights is subject to privacy protections both in the courts and at adoption agencies. Only parties that can show compelling reasons will gain access to the information.
- 2). Gather relevant information regarding the child and the relinquishment of parental rights. Information such as the birth date of the child, the adoption agency -- if applicable, the state agency or name of the social worker involved and the year rights were likely relinquished can facilitate your quest to find out whether parental rights were relinquished. Find out the name and contact information for the putative -- alleged -- biological father of the child, if possible.
- 3). Search court or adoption agency records for a record of the relinquishment. If you have enough information -- name of the mother or child, year parental rights were relinquished and court or agency where the procedure took place, you may be able to conduct a search for the termination proceedings in the court or at the adoption agency. Check the law of the state to determine who can access the record; in most jurisdictions, only immediate family members are allowed to have access to the court; other non-family members must show compelling reasons -- for example, the information is necessary for rendering services to the child.
- 4). Check with persons who would have first-hand knowledge of the relinquishment. The putative father or family members of the mother, including siblings, parents and grandparents, may have information about the proceedings to terminate parental rights. While social workers and state agencies are likely to have information about parental rights terminations, you must prove that you have a legal right to the information because of your relationship to the mother or child or that you have a compelling reason to access the records.
- 5). Check state adoption registries, mutual consent registries and putative father registries for the names of the mother, putative father or child. These registries alert other interested parties that the listed person is willing to be contacted regarding the adoption, and while these registries are not positive proof that the other relinquished her parental rights to her child, they can be a strong indicator that parental rights were terminated. Additionally, because the parties close to the adopted child want to make themselves available, this is an opportunity for you to contact the party to ascertain whether the mother's rights were relinquished.
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