The consent of a biological parent whose rights are ending may be required. However, there are many exceptions to the rule. For instance, there are cases where the rights of the biological parent may have been terminated by the State because of abuse or neglect. In those cases, consent is usually required from the Department of Child Services instead of the parents. In other cases, the consent of a biological parent may we waived because that parent has not seen or communicated with the child in over a year, has not financially supported the child in over 6 months, has abandoned the child, or is unfit in some manner to parent the child.