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When most people think of adoption, they think of what are called "closed adoptions," meaning that the birthmother and adoptive parents exchange little or no information about themselves or the child. While this type of adoption is still facilitated in some cases and may be the best choice for some parents, there are other types of adoptions available that will allow ongoing contact between birthparents and adoptive parents. These adoptions are called "open" or "semi-open" adoptions. Openness in adoption has evolved over time and today more and more agencies are incorporating openness into adoption because birthparents and adoptive parents recognize that, while they each have separate and distinct roles in the child's life, each role is valuable and should be honored as such.
In a closed adoption, all identifying information about the birthparents and adoptive parents is considered confidential and is legally unavailable to other members of the adoption triad. Non-identifying information, such as medical history, may be disclosed. Closed adoption can be facilitated by an attorney or agency, who would be responsible for identifying an adoptive family and would act as an intermediary between the birthmother and the adoptive parents. Birthparents and adoptive parents should be aware that,in some cases, courts have allowed adoptees at the age of 18 to access identifying information that was previously confidential.
In an open adoption, the birthmother chooses an adoptive family and agreements are made about the amount of contact that the birthparents will have with the child. Open adoption agencies will provide birthmothers with a pool of potential adoptive parents and birthmothers can choose a family based on things like geographical location, family structure and values, religion or culture. Open adoption arrangements can include birthfathers and other members of the extended family, such as birthgrandparents.
Some agencies may offer semi-open adoptions, in which a limited amount of information is exchanged or contact between the birthparents, adoptive parents and the child is limited to a certain amount of time, such as one year after the placement. The degree of openness in adoption may vary acording to the wishes of the birthmother and adoptive parents, but should be agreed upon and drawn up in a legally enforceable document prior to the placement of the child. Be sure to ask any agency that you are considering if they provide these legally enforceable agreements as part of their adoption process.
For all types of adoption, birthmothers and adoptive parents should receive counseling and support from the agency they are working with. Many states have a minimum number of counseling sessions that any birthmother and adoptive parent must be offered, but some agencies will go above and beyond these requirements and offer lifelong services for the parents, children and extended family as necessary.
One of the most important aspects of selecting an adoption agency is knowing the kind of adoption YOU want and the kinds of adoption the agency facilitates. See the list of questions under "Selecting an Agency" for ideas on how to find the agency that is best for you. |
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