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Processes of Relinquishing Parental Rights

*some information in this presentation come from outside
sources*

Processes of Relinquishing Parental Rights

!Field: Family Law
!Presented by: Monique Suarez
!Mentor: Jennifer L. Bergman
!Mentor Profession: Attorney
!Mentorship Site: Law Firm of Jennifer L. Bergman & AlabamaCoushatta Reservation
!Ism Teacher: Mrs. Kristi Click
!Fall Semester 2015

What is ISM?
!Ism stands for Independent Study Mentorship
! a course provided by Clear Springs High School for Juniors
and Seniors
!Allows students to shadow over a mentor in their field of
choice for one or two semesters
!Requirements
!Perform on a Collegiate level
!3 hours of Activity Hours per week
!At least 2 Mentor hours per week
!Activity Log
!Journal Post on ItsLearning
!Weebly Portfolio

My Mentor
Mentor: Ms. Jennifer L. Bergman
Mentee: Monique Suarez
Background: attended Trinity College in San Antonio & South
Texas of Law College
Has been licensed since 2008
Practiced in San Antonio until 2011
Prosecutor for the Alabama-Coushatta Tribal Court
Has her own practice: The Law Firm of Jennifer L. Bergman
Practices all over the East Texas area (Liberty County,
Montgomery County, San Jacinto County, Harris County)

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My Mentor
Mentor: Ms. Jennifer L. Bergman
Mentee: Monique Suarez
Background: attended Trinity College in San Antonio & South
Texas of Law College
Has been licensed since 2008
Practiced in San Antonio until 2011
Prosecutor for the Alabama-Coushatta Tribal Court
Has her own practice: The Law Firm of Jennifer L. Bergman
Practices all over the East Texas area (Liberty County,
Montgomery County, San Jacinto County, Harris County)

Law Firm of Jennifer L. Bergman

Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas (Tribal Court)

Brief History on the Tribe

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!Established in 1880
!Were trained as cavalry men whom were in the confederate
navy and are recognized as being loyal in their role as
servicemen
!This tribe lives on a reservation In Livingston, Texas
!Even have their own police department

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What is the Process of Relinquishing Parental Rights?

!This is a process in which parents give away their rights of
responsibility for their children to other adults
!Also known as adoption processes
!Why is this Important? Without Adoption, many children would
not have homes or a stable lifestyle without the security of
parents
!As of the 2000.. about 1.6 million children in the US under the
age of 18 were adopted. Of those, around 98,000 were one
year old or less (this includes foreign adoptions)
"Top 10 Interesting Adoption Facts | Enlighten Me." Enlighten
Me. N.p., 25 Oct. 2013. Web. 11 Oct. 2015.

Key Point 1: Types of Adoption Processes

!Terminated Parental Rights (will be case study over this one)
!Step Parent Adoption (also a case study)
!Same-sex Adoption (will refer to product)
!International Adoption(will refer to product)
!Relative Adoptions (will refer to product)
!Adult Adoptions(will refer to product)

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"Top 10 Interesting Adoption Facts | Enlighten Me." Enlighten

Me. N.p., 25 Oct. 2013. Web. 11 Oct. 2015.
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Key Point 1: Types of Adoption Processes

!Terminated Parental Rights (will be case study over this one)
!Step Parent Adoption (also a case study)
!Same-sex Adoption (will refer to product)
!International Adoption(will refer to product)
!Relative Adoptions (will refer to product)
!Adult Adoptions(will refer to product)

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Key Point 2 Terminated Parental Rights

!There are two types of Terminated Parental Rights: Voluntary
and Involuntary
(have case study embedded in presentation later on)

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Key Point 2-a Involuntary Termination

!What is this? This is when rights are taken away from parents
due to particular occurrence
!These occurrences can consist of but are not limited to
- Abuse
- Abandonment
- Excessive alcohol/drug use
- Mental Illness

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Key Point 2-b Voluntary Termination

!What is it? This is when a parent gives up their rights: typically
when they feel they are not able to handle the responsibility
!Legal Requirements
!At least one parents must give legal consent to the adoption
(typically this consent is required in writing in front of a judge)

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Key Point 3 Step-Parent Adoption

!What is it? This is when the new spouse of the childs
biological parent wants to legally claim the child as their own
!What makes it unique? A child can not have 3 biological
parents, this adoption works with terminated voluntary
adoption
!Fun Fact : In the US, the average age for prospective adoptive
parents is the late 30s to mid-40s.
!(case study embedded in presentation later on)

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Key Point 4 Steps to Take First

!Is this what you want?
!Select an Agency (research)

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biological parent wants to legally claim the child as their own

!What makes it unique? A child can not have 3 biological
parents, this adoption works with terminated voluntary
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adoption
!Fun Fact : In the US, the average age for prospective adoptive
parents is the late 30s to mid-40s.
!(case study embedded in presentation later on)
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Key Point 4 Steps to Take First

!Is this what you want?
!Select an Agency (research)
!Apply (research)
!Home Study

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Key Point 5 Home Study

!What is this? This is when the agency that you choose, goes
to your house and observes the environment in and around
the area to see if It is the right place for a child to live
!What do agencies look at when performing a home study on
someone looking to adopt? (will consist of research)

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What can go wrong during Adoption Processes?

!(incorporate research)

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Product
!Trifold board expressing the characteristics of the same-sex
couple, international, relative, and adult adoptions through
graphics, comparisons, and statistics, creatively

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Conclusion
!Adoption processes vary depending on the situation
!Terminated Parental Rights
!Involuntary
!Voluntary
!Step-Parent Adoption
!The main 4 aspects will remain the same majority of the time
!Deciding whether it is what you want
!Finding an Agency
!Applying
!Home Study
!(after conclusion is when I will ask if anyone has any
questions or concerns)

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Thank yous
!Thank you to my mentor Ms. Jennifer L. Bergman for allowing
me the opportunity to shadow over her thus far into the ISM

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!The main 4 aspects will remain the same majority of the time
!Deciding whether it is what you want
!Finding an Agency
!Applying
!Home Study
!(after conclusion is when I will ask if anyone has any
questions or concerns)
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Thank yous
!Thank you to my mentor Ms. Jennifer L. Bergman for allowing
me the opportunity to shadow over her thus far into the ISM
program, you definitely inspire me
!Thank you to Mrs. Kristi Click for allowing me this opportunity
to experience such a collegiate level course and learn how to
organize myself
!Thank you to my parents, Joe and Rufina Suarez for always
pushing me to do my best no matter how stressed I was
!Thank you to my peers for taking the time to listen to my midterm presentation

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Bibliography
!"Birth Parent Rights - FindLaw." Findlaw. N.p., n.d. Web. 07
Oct. 2015.
!"The Different Types of Adoption - FindLaw." Findlaw. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2015.
!"Top 10 Interesting Adoption Facts | Enlighten Me." Enlighten
Me. N.p., 25 Oct. 2013. Web. 11 Oct. 2015.

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