A family is a fundamental human community which is specifically legally protected both by the society and the legal system. The Croatian Family Law Act regulates family relationships not only protecting rights and wellbeing of a child, but also giving rights to the parents to take care of their children and supporting them in achieving these rights. The country engages in family relationships, mostly between parents and a child, if they are violated. In these cases, there is a possibility of restriction of the rights guaranteed by the law. The rights of parents to have custody of their children are finnaly restricted by adoption. Adoption as an institute of the Family Law Act legally makes a permanent relationship between parents and children in order to protect children without parental care and for the adoptive parents to acquire custody. Wellbeing of a child is the main criterium for deciding who is eligible for adoption. Adoption has been changed significantly since 1998 when the first Family Law Act was enacted. The most important change in newer history was made in 2003, when legal parenthood was equaled with biological parenthood. There were also new changes in the Family Law Act in 2015. Cohabiting partners have the same rights for adoption of a child as marriage partners and single person. The Law introduced a litigation procedure in which the court is allowed to substitute biological parents’ consent to relinquish a child for adoption. Furthermore, prospective adoptive parents are obliged to attend adoption-competency training, after which they are recorded in prospective adoptive parents register, if they are considered eligible and suitable. The Family Law Act introduced the obligation for a child to live with the most suitable adoptive parents from the register so that they create a personal relationship, in order to prepare a child for the adoption in the best way possible.