The plaintiff does not seek to ‘open,' to set aside or to diminish in any way the adoptive process that has substituted the defendants as the legal parents of the child. The plaintiff's rights are not premised on an ongoing genetic relationship that somehow survives a termination of parental rights and an adoption. Instead the plaintiff is asking us to decide whether, as an adult who has an ongoing personal relationship with the child, she may contract with the adopting parents, prior to adoption, for the continued right to visit with the child, so long as that visitation continues to be in the best interest of the child.”[emphasis added]. Michaud v. Wawrack, 209 Conn. 407, 412-413 (1988).
In open adoptions, birth parents and adoptive parents have some knowledge about one another. There is no universally accepted definition of open adoption - as it can take many different forms, and is not legally available in all states. Informal open adoptions occur when relatives (grandparents, aunts and uncles, etc) take responsibility for providing a home and parental guidance to a grand-child, niece, nephew, etc when the birth parents are not available or have not provided appropriate care.
an adoption where full identifying information has been shared between the birth and adoptive families
an adoption where the birth mother remains in contact with the adoptive parents and the child throughout the child's life
an adoption where the birth parents and adoptive parents have knowledge of each other
an adoption where the birthparents and the adoptive parents mutually agree to share information
an adoption where there is an expectation that one or both birth parents would continue to have contact with the child after the adoption throughout the child's minority
an independent adoption in which the adoptive parents and birth parents have contact during the gestation period and the new parents agree to maintain some contact with the birth parents after the adoption, through letters, photos, or in-person visits
a process by which the birth parents and the adoptive parents exchange identifying information and may meet
An adoption that involves some amount of initial and/or ongoing contact between birth and adoptive families, ranging from sending letters through the agency, to exchanging names , and/or scheduling visits.
An adoption where there is some contact between the adoptee or adoptive parents and the birth family. There are many degrees of open adoption, and the contact may be with any significant person from the birth family, not necessarily the birth parents.
birthparents and adoptive parents in the process of an adoption are given information that could be used to identify them.
An adoption that involves initial or ongoing contact between birth and adoptive families, ranging from sending information through the agency to scheduling visits. See Types of Open Adoption
An adoption that involves some amount of initial and/or ongoing contact between the adoptive parents and the birth parents. Contact can range from letters and pictures to scheduled visits.
an adoption that involves some amount of direct contact between the birth and adoptive families, ranging from exchanging names to sending letters and scheduling visits.
An arrangement in which the adopted child maintains contact with and/or has knowledge of the birth family. Pennsylvania's adoption law does not address the issue of open adoption or agreements for continued contact between the child and the birth family. Therefore, any agreement made regarding an open adoption is not legally enforceable.
an adoption where birth parents and adoptive parents meet, names and addresses may be exchanged, and communication may continue indefinitely.
An adoption which allows for some form of association between the birth parents, adoptees, and adoptive parents. This can range from picture and letter sharing, to phone calls, to contact through an intermediary, to open contact between the parties themselves. Also known as "cooperative adoption."
An adoption process in which birth parents meet and know · the adoptive parent(s). Ongoing contact could range from periodic pictures and letters to regular visits.
The practice of providing information to a child's birth parents, adoptive parents, and/or the child as the child matures. Most adoptions in the United States have some degree of openness, from very little written information to full disclosure and face to face contact before, during and after the adoption.
An adoption in which there is some degree of contact between the birthparents and the adoptive parents and sometimes with the child as well. As opposed to most adoptions in which birth and adoption records are sealed by court order, open adoptions allow the parties to decide how much contact the adoptive family and the birthparents will have.
Open adoption is a term generally used to describe a variety of arrangements allowing for ongoing contact between members of the 'adoption triad' (adoptive family, biological family, and adopted child). The level of openness in any relationship varies widely. Degrees of open arrangements include mediated contact, which implies letters or photographs sent through a third party (so that the adoptive family can maintain privacy), to where the parties have each others contact details and may write directly.