Grandma wants to adopt grandson
Dear Mrs Macaulay,
I recently read an article where I saw you gave a couple from England some advice as to how they can go about adopting their grandson.
I’d like to know if I can also adopt my grandson. His father was shot up by gunmen and from that he has been going up and down between relatives.
My daughter is not in any state to take care of him. I am a married woman and I have a house in St Catherine. Can you give me some ideas please as how to help him. He will be 16 years old this May.
I am constrained to ask, why did you not take your grandson into your home and assume his care by giving him a settled home and providing his necessities? This would have assisted you greatly in hopes for a successful adoption application.
Yes, you can apply to adopt your grandson, but your husband may join in the adoption application or at least indicate his agreement with you doing so. I trust that your daughter, when contacted and asked if she consents to your adoption of her son, would say yes she does.
However, as your grandson will be 16 years old soon, you would have to move very quickly in order to have your adoption of him concluded before his 18th birthday. I would therefore suggest that you quickly retain the services of a lawyer, who practices family law, and so can move very quickly with the application for orders in your favour of your sole legal custody and for the care and control of your grandson. The agreements/consents of your husband and his mother and indeed of your grandson himself would also be needed for this application.
You should also have your grandson living with you and in your full care or that of your husband and yourself, and while your application to be his sole custodial parent is being prepared and is proceeding, so he would have a settled home with you and this can just be continued but with legal authority after you obtain the orders. Since your application should be made in the Supreme Court, your attorney could prepare and file an affidavit of urgency, so that the application could be heard as quickly as possible, so that your grandson’s life can be stabilised as soon as possible. His best interests must be your paramount consideration.
While your custodial application is being prepared, your application to adopt him can also be done and be proceeding at the same time. But, as I mentioned above, you have very little time left to do and conclude your wish to adopt your grandson, who at 16 years of age would be asked for his opinion of your plan to adopt him. I hope that you have spoken with him about your plans and obtained his agreement.
I hope that I have made it clear to you that you must act as quickly as possible and thereby provide a settled life for your grandson. Your plans for him are wonderful and I wish you all success, but please, please secure the services of a lawyer to act for you and for him as a matter of urgency, and I wish you both and your husband all the very best and a happy future together as a family.
Margarette May Macaulay is an attorney-at-law, Supreme Court mediator, notary public, and women’s and children’s rights advocate. Send questions via e-mail to allwoman@jamaicaobserver.com; or write to All Woman, 40-42 1/2 Beechwood Avenue, Kingston 5. All responses are published. Mrs Macaulay cannot provide personal responses.
DISCLAIMER:
The contents of this article are for informational purposes only and must not be relied upon as an alternative to legal advice from your own attorney.
