Q: How can I adopt my granddaughter that I've had custody of for the last three years?
The parents are not involved in her life and have never paid child support. They have another child that is in DCS custody pending adoption.
A: An adoption is a court proceeding- you file a written request ( probably to be called a "petition to adopt") with the court clerk. The parental rights of both the biological parents will have to terminated ( unless either or both will sign a "surrender" of those rights) and that could mean a court hearing where you have to convince/prove to the Judge that the parents have abandoned the child. Unfortunately, this process is highly technical, and definitely not something you can do by yourself. You should hire an experienced adoption lawyer to help you.
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