What term refers to the legal procedure where individuals gain rights for the care of a child?

The term that aligns with the legal procedure where individuals gain rights for the care of a child is adoption. Adoption is a formal legal process that permanently transfers all parental rights and responsibilities from the biological parents to the adoptive parents. This process creates a legally recognized parent-child relationship, granting the adoptive parents the same rights, obligations, and legal standing as biological parents.

This process often involves a series of legal steps, including home studies and court approvals, ensuring that the adoptive environment is safe and suitable for the child’s upbringing. Once the adoption is finalized, the child becomes a full member of the adoptive family, with all the associated legal rights and benefits.

In contrast, custody refers to the legal rights to make decisions about a child's care and welfare but does not permanently transfer parental rights as adoption does. Guardianship also involves the legal authority to care for a child but is typically less permanent than adoption and does not sever the biological parents' rights. Foster care, on the other hand, is a temporary arrangement where a child is placed in the care of another family or individual, usually due to issues affecting their biological family, but it does not create a permanent parental relationship.