Fresno County Department of Social Services v. Leanne W.

Opinion

VARTABEDIAN, Acting P. J .

—We are called upon to determine whether a birth parent must be advised of the availability of a kinship adoption agreement prior to termination of parental rights (Fam. Code, § 8714.7). A kinship adoption agreement allows, under certain circumstances, the adoptive parents, the birth relatives, and the child, to enter into an agreement regarding continuing contact and/or visitation between the child and designated birth relatives. The agreement is intended as a tool to promote a relative’s interest in adoption. It further seeks to expedite legal permanency for…