step parent adoption without natural father's concent

[BCenter]

I live in indiana. My husband wants to adopt my daughter. Her father and I were never married. He doesn't see her or contact me in anyway. He has only paid child support a few times but it isn't court ordered either. Oh and he isn't on her birth certificate because he never came to the hospital to sign it. How long do i have to wait without contact from him and what is the best way to get my daughter adopted by my husband?

 

[dorenephilpot]

From what you've stated, paternity was never established, so an adoption should be fairly easy.

How long has it been since he saw the child?

When was the last time he paid support?

All of those issues help you....

 

[BCenter]

He hasn't seen her since February and that was me taking her to him, and that was the first week in March is the last time he paid support. He is at this time 800.00 behind on what we decided for support.

 

[dorenephilpot]

Oh, I assumed from the post that it had been years since the last contact.

The best route under the circumstances you described is to first ask him to consent to the adoption.

Tell him that you'll need him to relinquish his parental rights so that your husband can adopt the child.

He just might agree to it.

That will let him off the hook for FUTURE support.

Because you don't have a court order for the back support, he could be off the hook for that, too.

He just might go for it.

If he does, it's easy. If he doesn't, you'll have an expensive fight on your hands.