QUESTION
My daughter's mother asked me to sign a petition to waive my parental rights and I'm currently incarcerated, what can I do?
Asked on Dec 18th, 2015 on Child Custody - Washington
More details to this question:
I love my daughter. I am serving time for something completely unrelated, but will be released in August of 2016 in Texas. My daughter lives with her mother and the man that wants to adopt her (step father) in Washington state. Let me add that her step-father is a really great guy and I feel blessed that she has a good upstanding role model that cares for her. I received a letter requesting me to sign a petition to give up my rights. I love my daughter and hope to earn a relationship with her as soon as I walk out of these gates. I am not a bad father, I just made very poor personal choices. I am prepared to work for her trust and to be back in her life. How do I proceed? Do I send notification that I will not sign the documents? Will her mother and step father be able to proceed without my approval because I am locked up? Please help, this is a part of the law I am very unfamiliar with. I appreciate any and all input. Best wishes.
1 ANSWER
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Whether or not a court rules to terminate your parental rights depends on the kind of relationship you had with her prior to the incarceration, whether you paid child support and whether you were actually declared her legal father if you were not married to the mother. You don't have to sign, but if you don't send a response to the court (and to the mother/stepfather) outlining your relationship to the child. If you had no significant relationship before, the court won't be interested in what you plan to do once you're released.
Answered on Jan 08th, 2016 at 4:41 PM