Legal Question in Family Law in South Carolina

In South Carolina if a parent does not visit a child and/or support a child for greater than 6 months the other parent and step-parent have grounds to terminate the non-visiting/supporting parent's parental rights. Once the parent's parental rights are terminated the child may be adopted by the step-parent. Although it is a 2 part process, both take place at the same hearing. Generally for a step-parent adoption the process is as follows: 1) File an action for Termination of Parental Rights (TPR) and Adoption with the Court. 2) Have a Guardian ad litem appointed ( he or she will tell the court whether the TPR and adoption are in the best interest of the child) and 3) Attend a final hearing, at which the TPR should be granted and the adoption should be approved. After the final hearing, the attorney will send a form to DHEC Vital Records which will allow the child's birth certificate to be changed to name adoptive parent as mother or father. I hope this helped. Do not try to do this without an attorney, please seek the advice of an attorney for this matter. Please send me an email if you have any questions about this response or if you would like to discuss your options further. My email is [email protected].