Post-Adoption Contact Agreements - How To Make One
Part 3: How To Make OneThere are basically four types of adoptions:
- Confidential adoptions (closed) - no exchange of information between birth and adoptive families post-placement;
- Time-limited mediated adoptions (semi-open) - information exchanged by an agency caseworker or third party for a specific period following the adoption at the end of which, information exchanges stop;
- Ongoing mediated adoptions (semi-open) - information exchanges are mediated by an agency or third party on an ongoing basis, and
- Fully disclosed adoptions (open) - direct sharing of information between adoptive and birth family member(s), usually accompanied by face-to-face meetings.
Once the type of adoption is agreed upon, adoption professionals recommend that
- wording of post-adoption agreements be specific;
- both parties should be as honest as possible about their desires and expectations;
- mediation services are encouraged, both when the agreement is formulated, and post-adoption in the event of a desire to change the terms or conflict;
- some agreements may include members of the extended birth family (i.e., grandparents) or others, depending on prior contact, if it's considered adviseable for the well-being of the child.
| More of this Feature •Part 1: What Are They? •Part 2: Why Make One? Part 3: How to Make One •Part 4: Legalities |
The best Net resource for a description of how an agreement can be formulated is the State of Oregon, Office for Services to Children and Families. While this document describes mediation in termination cases, the consideration of the child's best interest, the value of openness, cooperation between placing and adopting parents, and specific issues are comprehensive in scope and can be adapted to agreements in other types of adoption.
See Glossary definitions:
Closed Adoption
Open Adoption
Semi-Open Adoption
Next page > Legalities > Page 1, 2, 3, 4
© Nancy S Ashe
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