Dependency Adoption
Helping Foster and Relative Caregivers Give Children Permanent, Loving Homes
Children who enter Nevada’s child-welfare system deserve more than temporary care.
They deserve permanence, stability, and a lifelong family.
Dependency Adoption—sometimes called foster-care, public, or state adoption—is the legal process that makes that permanence possible.
At The Cooley Law Firm, we guide foster parents, relatives, and pre-adoptive caregivers through the adoption of children in the custody of the Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS) or another child-placing agency. Our focus is always the same: the child’s best interest.
What Is a Dependency Adoption?
A dependency adoption occurs when:
A child is in the custody of DCFS or a licensed child-placing agency, and
Parental rights have been legally terminated or relinquished
Once that happens, the child becomes legally free for adoption.
These Adoptions Often Involve:
Foster parents who have cared for the child during the case
Relative or kinship caregivers, such as
Grandparents
Aunts or uncles
Adult siblings
Extended family members
Pre-adoptive placements arranged by DCFS when reunification is no longer possible
Our role is to turn temporary care into permanent family, correctly and compassionately.
Our Role in the Adoption Process
Attorney Shelly Booth Cooley handles every legal step after termination of parental rights (TPR).
We Assist With:
Filing the Petition for Adoption and all supporting documents
Reviewing termination orders, relinquishments, and consents
Confirming ICWA compliance, when applicable
Coordinating with DCFS caseworkers and adoption specialists
Representing adoptive parents at the finalization hearing
Preparing a clear, enforceable adoption order
We also assist with:
Post-adoption name changes
Amended birth certificates
Adoption assistance agreements, when subsidies or benefits continue
Permanency and the Child's Best Interest
Nevada law prioritizes permanency for children.
Adoption provides:
Emotional stability and belonging
Legal security for the child and adoptive parents
Continued access to adoption subsidies, medical coverage, and educational support, when available
We approach every dependency adoption with care for the child’s:
History
Identity
Cultural and familial connections
How AB 227 Improved Dependency Adoptions
In 2025, Nevada enacted AB 227, modernizing adoption law statewide—including child-welfare adoptions.
AB 227:
Clarified adoption types and child-placing agency definitions
Streamlined investigations and reports, reducing delays
Updated consent and relinquishment procedures
Promoted consistency between agency and court-based adoptions
Shelly Booth Cooley was directly involved in drafting and advocating for AB 227, ensuring that every dependency adoption she handles complies with the most current Nevada standards.
Why Families Choose The Cooley Law Firm
Extensive Adoption Experience
Representation in dependency, agency, and relative adoptions throughout Nevada.
Legislative Leadership
Firsthand knowledge of AB 227 and its application in real cases.
Child-Centered Advocacy
Every decision is guided by what serves the child’s best interest.
Collaborative Approach
Close coordination with DCFS, agencies, and caregivers to reduce stress and delay.
Turning Care Into Permanence
If you are a foster parent, relative caregiver, or pre-adoptive placement ready to give a child a forever home, The Cooley Law Firm is here to help.
We will manage the legal process, work with your caseworker, and ensure your adoption is finalized with care, clarity, and respect.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Contact The Cooley Law Firm to schedule a consultation with Shelly Booth Cooley, a Las Vegas child-welfare adoption attorney, Adoption & ART Fellow of the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys, and advocate for Nevada’s family-building reforms under AB 227 (2025).
Every child deserves a permanent family.
We help make that possible.
