Birth Father Roles and Responsibilities in Florida Adoption

Birth fathers might be an interesting aspect of the adoption process, especially if the pregnancy is unexpected. What you do and what they must do to be considered a birth parent of the child is very different. So when it comes to approaching adoption agencies in Florida, knowing what they do in the adoption process is important. Here at Adoption Choices of Florida, we are here to help you understand birth father roles and responsibilities.

What If I am not Married to the Birth Father?

To be officially involved in the adoption process, if the father is not married when you find out that you are pregnant, they must enter their name in the Florida Putative Father Registry. This will make it known that they are the child’s birth father. Their fatherhood will be known if anyone were to try to dispute it in a court of law. This document would allow him to determine if he can consent to put a child up for adoption. The fatherhood registry document will make his last name the child’s last name unless otherwise stated at birth.

To be involved in the adoption process, the father has to be interested in the child. He should provide medical care and financial support during and after the pregnancy. If this is not followed, his rights as a father will be forfeited if he is not registered.

Does the Father Have to Give Consent?

In the adoption process, the father may be able to provide consent to the adoption in a case like this. However, the rights that he has is determined by if you tell an adoption agency that he is the birth father before you consent to adoption. He also gets involved in the adoption process and involves himself in creating an adoption plan. This is verified through the Office of Vital Statistics so that he holds the right to termination of the adoption plan as well as his involvement in his birth father status.

If the father continues to be involved in your life to support the child and has developed an interest in the child, he is considered a father and can be involved in every step of the adoption process. In addition, the father will be notified of the adoption plan by an adoption agency so that they understand what is happening with the child.

What is the Birth Fathers Roles During the Adoption Process?

If you contact adoption agencies in Florida, the birth father will be contacted. He will then be able to identify with you the types of adoption he would want to have with the child. Being considered a father for adoption gives him the same rights as you when finding a family and what kind of future relationship he would want with the child.

He will also be able to help select the adoptive family. This depends on which adoption options he chooses and what you choose. In an open adoption, you would meet the possible adoptive parents to select the best home for your child.

When the baby is officially put up for adoption, you and the father must give proper consent on this topic. If yes, you both terminate your parental responsibilities, and the adoptive parents become the legal parents of the child. You will still be listed as birth parents on the birth certificate but no longer registered as caregivers.

How Adoption Choices of Florida can Help You Understand Birth Father Roles and Responsibilities

You and the birth father will have to go through a lot to complete the adoption. The birth father has a lot of responsibilities to take care of to obtain the right to consent and fatherhood. How he does, this depends on whether he wants to be a direct part of the child’s life and if he can support you during the pregnancy.

The birth father has a role in the adoption only if they follow the right directions.

If you are a pregnant woman in Florida considering adoption and have any questions or concerns about the adoption process, please don’t hesitate to reach out. For more information on adoption, visit us at Adoption Choices of Florida or call or text us at: (833) 352-3678.