Open adoption involves a family legally adopting a child from the child's birth parents under the agreement that the birth parents can maintain communication with the child throughout his life. Under an open adoption, the birth parents can remain an influence in the child's life while the child is in the legal custody of his adoptive parents.
Definition
Ongoing communication and direct contact between a child and his birth parents and between the adoptive parents and the birth parents is essential to an open adoption. In contrast, the identities of all parties in a semi-open adoption are kept from each other by an adoption professional, according to the American Pregnancy Association. Adoption professionals may allow for non-identifying contact between the birth parents and the child, but there is no ongoing direct communication.
Considerations
Turning Corners Counseling suggests that birth parents prepare for the open adoption process by asking whether they can be honest about the adoption, if they can respect all parties involved in the adoption process and if they will be able to trust the adoptive family with raising their child. Adoptive families should respect the background and decisions of the birth parents. This understanding among all the parents helps contribute to the child's sense of safety and security.
Agreement
The adoptive family and the birth parents must agree upon the type of contact the birth parents can maintain with their child. Open Adoption Insight recommends contact in person, by telephone and through mail to help maintain a positive long-term relationship between an adopted child and her birth family. Although the comfort level of all parents needs to be a consideration, the bottom line is that any agreement should center around the needs of the child. These needs may fluctuate over time, and all involved parties need to be flexible enough to meet these needs.
Legal Parents
The adoptive family and the birth parents must agree upon and state the terms of the open adoption in the adoption papers before the adoption passes through the court system. The birth parents remain the legal parents of a child undergoing the process of open adoption until the adoption is complete. After the adoption, the adoptive parents have legal custody of the child; however, any party to the agreement can petition the court to modify or void the agreement as well as order compliance with the agreement, according to TennHelp, a joint program created by the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services, .the Tennessee chapter of the National Association of Social Workers and the Tennessee Department of Children's Services.
Benefits
Patricia Martinez Dornez, author of the books "Children of Open Adoption" and "Talking to Your Child About Adoption" encourages the adoptive parents and the birth parents to view open adoption as a form of blended family. This outlook helps the child maintain a sense of safety while in the legal custody of his adoptive parents. According to Open Adoption Insight, a continuing relationship between the adoptive parents and the birth parents allows for better understanding of the child and greater trust between both parties. Turning Corner Counseling adds that children of open adoptions "have better overall adjustment and higher self-esteem than those raised in closed adoptions." The website adds that open adoption children also have fewer behavioral issues.
