The Role of the Adoptive Parents
As adoptive parents in an open adoption, you are the legal guardian of your adoptive child. Even though you are participating in an open adoption, the birth parents have relinquished all legal parental rights to their child. However, in an open adoption, you take on the responsibility for maintaining an open relationship with your adoptive child’s birth parents, as agreed upon in your adoption contract.
The Role of The Birth Parents
The role of the birth parents in an open adoption is typically decided on by both the adoptive and birth parents. Together, they will discuss how often a birth parent should stay in contact, and through what means this contact should be made. In a fully open adoption, birth parents may stay in contact through:
- personal visits
- telephone calls
- letters and pictures
In a semi-open adoption, birth parents may only stay in touch through their adoption agency.
The Open Adoption Process
Open adoption is typically pursued through one of two avenues: independent adoption or agency adoption. Independent adoption involves using an adoption lawyer to help you legally adopt a child that you have located through your own personal means. An agency adoption is performed through an adoption agency. This agency distributes your file to birth parents, who can then select you to be adoptive parents. Agency adoptions are typically more expensive, but involve highly trained professionals who are familiar with the adoption laws in your area.
Why Choose Open Adoption?
There are many different reasons to choose open child adoption. Many of the most common reasons for looking to open adoption include:
- being able to maintain a close relationship with your adoptive child’s birth parents
- being able to provide your child with the opportunity to stay in contact with his birth parents.
- being able to have access to details about your adoptive child’s medical, personal, and family history.
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1. Open Adoption |
2. Why open adoption? |
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