Kinship adoption is when a relative, either biological or a relative by marriage, such as step relatives, adopts a child.  This process can be streamlined, similar to the stepparent adoption process, however because adoption laws vary from state to state, so will the kinship adoption process.

How much does it cost?
If your state requires a home study for a kinship adoption, then you will have to find an agency, or a private social worker that specializes in home studies to help you complete your adoption.  Legal fees are going to start around $1000 and work their way up from there, depending on what factors are involved in the adoption situation.

What are the requirements to adopt?
The main requirement for a kinship adoption is of course, that you are related to the child.  The parental rights of the biological parents of the child must be terminated before anyone can adopt the child.  If your state requires a home study, then you will have to complete that as well before you will be able to move forward with the adoption of your relative’s child.

What is the process for adopting a child?
If the child in question is in the state’s care, then the relatives wishing to adopt will have to become licensed foster parents before being able to adopt the child.  This involves taking parenting classes, and completing a home study.  If you do not reside in the same state as the child does, then extra paperwork and steps are involved in the adoption process, which will add on time to the length of the adoption process.  The length of time will vary from state to state, as some states work faster than others when it comes to adopting across state lines.

How long does it take to adopt a child?
Because relative adoptions tend to have a more streamlined process, the time to complete an adoption is often much less than that of other types of adoption. 

How is this form of adoption different from other forms?
Because kinship adoptions ‘keep it in the family’ they can become rather sticky.  Roles shift from mother, to aunt, from cousin to sibling, and so forth, which can be hard for some families to deal with.  Kinship adoptions have the potential to put a strain on extended family relationships, it is important to keep this in mind before doing a relative adoption, and try to work out any foreseen issues that may arise ahead of time as best as you can.  You will not be able to head off every issue, but it is a good idea to discuss potential issues before hand, and get as much of the family on the same page as possible.