Terminated Parental Rights
If a higher court has terminated one of the parent's rights, a copy of
that order must be filed with the Probate Court. The parent whose rights were
terminated does not need to sign the relinquishment form or be served in any
other way. This does not mean a parent who was given full custody. It
means total termination of parental rights.
Served Papers
If
a parent who does not sign the Acknowledgment and Consent Form has a
current or last known address, then that parent must either be served
personally by a Sheriff's Deputy or by certified mail, depending on the
situation. Additional fees will apply.
Newspaper Notices
If
either parent does not, will not, or cannot sign the Acknowledgment and
Consent, and the petitioner knows of no current or last known address
for that parent, a citation must be published in the county legal organ
(The Times-Georgian). The notice must state that a petition for guardianship for the
child/children has been filed in the Probate Court.
The missing parent
or other interested party is given a certain date and time by which any
objection to guardianship must be filed. When such notice by publication
is required, a fee for the legal ad must be paid to the newspaper.