Adoption is defined as the legal process that establishes a parent/child relationship between persons who are not related by birth, with the same mutual rights and obligations that exist between children and their biological parents. However, those persons involved in the adoption process know that it is much more than a legal contract. It is a complex social and emotional experience of losses and gains for all parties involved.
The Cabinet plays a specific role in providing services in various types of adoption procedures including public agency adoptions, licensed child placing agency adoptions, relative and non-relative adoptions, as well as independent (private) adoptions.