Glossary
of Key Approaches to Child Adoption
A Child's Waiting Adoption Agency can help with all types and aspects of adoption.
We are here for the adoptive family and birth mother or birth parents as well as the child for adoption. Below you will find terms and information for ways to help you make informed decisions on how to approach adoption whether is be an infant or old child adoption.
Open Adoption -
Adoption in which identifying information is
shared between birth and adoptive parents and
there is a plan for continued contact after the
placement is made.
Mediated Open
Adoption - is planned communication
between birth and adoptive families while
the child is growing up, spelled out in a
written agreement. The agreement is mediated
by A Child's Waiting adoption agency representative who
is sensitive to the issues for both sides.
Semi-Open Adoption -
Birth and adoptive families who stay in contact
by way of an intermediary as opposed to direct
contact; they may or may not have exchanged identifying
information.
Openness -
in adoption refers to various forms of communication
between birth parents and adoptive parents, such
as an exchange of pictures and letters, meeting
but not having ongoing contact, or meeting on
a first name basis.
Open Placement -
the birth and adoptive family meet at the beginning
of the adoption; may or may not exchange identifying
information; have no commitment of ongoing contact.
Independent
Adoption - is an adoption that is
carried out often with no counseling provided
for anyone. The child is simply placed with
the adoptive family.
Closed or Confidential
Adoption - the birth parents and
adoptive parents do not meet, do not share
identifying information and do not keep in
contact.
Triad ( the
adoption triangle) - the three categories
of people directly involved in adoption:
the birth parents, the adoptee, and the adoptive
parents.
Glossary of Key Players
in Adoption
Birth Mother - (birth
parent, biological parent) - refers to the person
who gave birth to a baby. It is a preferred term
as opposed to natural mother or real mother,
causing implication that if the birth mother
makes an adoption plan the adoptive parents are
unreal or unnatural.
Birth Father - (birth
parent, biological parent) - refers to the male
responsible for refers to the male responsible
for the conception of a child. The child born
to the woman who was impregnated by this person
will have the genetic components of the birth
father and the birth mother.
Legal Parent - (mother/father)
- refers to the woman to whom a child was born
and the father of the child who is married to
the mother or has filed a notice of intent to
claim paternity.
Putative Father -
(alleged) - refers to the person who is thought
to be the biological father of a child but has
not acknowledged this fact nor filed an intent
to determine that he is the biological father.
Permanent Surrender / Relinquishment -
refers to birth parents legally signing over
their child to an adoption agency. Until the
child is placed for adoption, the agency has
custody of the child. Other words used are release
of surrender.
Open Adoption Continuum
- Closed Adoptions
- Correspondence through the adoption agency, non-identifying
- Correspondence directly between adoptive and
birth family
- Visits facilitated by adoption agency in neutral site,
non-identifying
- Visits in home, identifying info shared
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