I’m 27 and my mom has been married to my “dad” for 26 years. I was wanting to do the adoption process but didn’t know if I needed to include the bio father or not. Haven’t spoke to him in years.

It seems like the main reason for step parent adoption is to alienate one parent. Usually the child is already cared for and nothing changes, other then the exchanging of parental rights.
Of the cases I know, fathers adopt their new spouses child(ren) to pass as his own and save her reputation or so they can force the other father out of the child life. I don’t think I’ve known personally of a case where it was done for the sake of the child.
My feelings are still unclear on this topic.
What do you think?

Adams county to be exact. Like I said ex step-parent who was awarded parenting time with the child. Please advise!!

If an Australian couple wanted to adopt a child (most likely from overseas, as I’ve heard it’s a difficult and long process here) what steps would they need to take? SHould we speak to our lawyer or an adoption agency first? How do we know if an agency is reputable? What else do we need to know?
This is serious question and I would prefer answers only from those who actually know what they are talking about and are familiar with the adoption process.
Thanks.