I get asked all the time about the difference between an open adoption and closed adoption and what openness means.  In this article I am going to focus on the difference between the two types of adoptions and in a later article I am going to talk about open adoption by itself because the latest trends in adoption have been leaning more towards openness.

Let me start by saying that whatever type of adoption you choose, it is a personal decision.  For some people, having a completely open adoption where direct contact occurs between Birthparents and adoptive parents is perfectly fine and works for them.  Other people feel more comfortable with sending pictures and letters through an agency, attorney or mutual third party.  Still other adoptive parents and Birthparents choose to have a closed adoption and have no contact once a placement occurs.

No two adoptions are the same and no two situations are the same.  If you do a second adoption, what worked for the first might not work for the second.  It is important for you to do the research and decide what kind of adoption you feel comfortable with.  You never want to promise something that you feel you can’t do just to get a baby.  The more you discuss openness with your spouse in the beginning the better equipped you will be talk to the agency, attorney or Birthparent about future contact.

Contact in an adoptive situation is really based on a continuum.  Instead of being completely black or white, completely open or closed, most adoptions actually fall somewhere in between.  For the sake of this article, I am going to talk about closed, semi-open and open adoptions.

In a closed adoption no identifying information is shared between parties.  Birthparents supply the adoptive parents with a social and medical history.  Birthparents and adoptive parents never meet and once a placement occurs there is no contact.  Birthparents can still choose an adoptive family through non-identifying picture profiles if they wish.

In a semi-open adoption no identifying information is shared between parties.  Birthparents supply the adoptive parents with a social and medical history.  Birthparents choose an adoptive family through non-identifying picture profiles.  They typically meet before the baby is born.  They are usually on a first name basis only.  Once a placement occurs, adoptive parents and Birthparents exchange pictures and letters through an agency, attorney or mutual third party.  They might meet in the future but it is usually done at a neutral place like a restaurant, park or adoption agency office.

In an open adoption, identifying information is shared between Birthparents and adoptive parents.  This can include last names, addresses and phone numbers.  Birthparents supply the adoptive parents with a social and medical history.  Birthparents choose an adoptive family through non-identifying picture profiles.  Once they choose a family, they then exchange identifying information.  Once a placement occurs, the Birthparents and adoptive parents maintain direct contact through the telephone, e-mail and face-to-face meetings without using somebody else as in intermediary.

What I see most of the time is people starting out in the semi-open phase first.  After they build a relationship and trust they then move more to the open phase and no longer need anyone as a go-between.  As with any relationship, you don’t typically jump in head first but take the opportunity to know another person.

These are the basic differences in the types of openness in adoption that you can have.  As you can see, you can work with Birthparents to come up with a plan that works for everyone.  It really is not a black or white decision but one that you can make that ranges anywhere along the continuum.  Whatever type of adoption you choose to have, you need to make sure that you are making the decision not only based on what is right for you but what is best and most healthy for your child and their future.
I get asked all the time about the difference between an open adoption and closed adoption and what openness means.  In this article I am going to focus on the difference between the two types of adoptions and in a later article I am going to talk about open adoption by itself because the latest trends in adoption have been leaning more towards openness.

Let me start by saying that whatever type of adoption you choose, it is a personal decision.  For some people, having a completely open adoption where direct contact occurs between Birthparents and adoptive parents is perfectly fine and works for them.  Other people feel more comfortable with sending pictures and letters through an agency, attorney or mutual third party.  Still other adoptive parents and Birthparents choose to have a closed adoption and have no contact once a placement occurs.

No two adoptions are the same and no two situations are the same.  If you do a second adoption, what worked for the first might not work for the second.  It is important for you to do the research and decide what kind of adoption you feel comfortable with.  You never want to promise something that you feel you can’t do just to get a baby.  The more you discuss openness with your spouse in the beginning the better equipped you will be talk to the agency, attorney or Birthparent about future contact.

Contact in an adoptive situation is really based on a continuum.  Instead of being completely black or white, completely open or closed, most adoptions actually fall somewhere in between.  For the sake of this article, I am going to talk about closed, semi-open and open adoptions.

In a closed adoption no identifying information is shared between parties.  Birthparents supply the adoptive parents with a social and medical history.  Birthparents and adoptive parents never meet and once a placement occurs there is no contact.  Birthparents can still choose an adoptive family through non-identifying picture profiles if they wish.

In a semi-open adoption no identifying information is shared between parties.  Birthparents supply the adoptive parents with a social and medical history.  Birthparents choose an adoptive family through non-identifying picture profiles.  They typically meet before the baby is born.  They are usually on a first name basis only.  Once a placement occurs, adoptive parents and Birthparents exchange pictures and letters through an agency, attorney or mutual third party.  They might meet in the future but it is usually done at a neutral place like a restaurant, park or adoption agency office.

In an open adoption, identifying information is shared between Birthparents and adoptive parents.  This can include last names, addresses and phone numbers.  Birthparents supply the adoptive parents with a social and medical history.  Birthparents choose an adoptive family through non-identifying picture profiles.  Once they choose a family, they then exchange identifying information.  Once a placement occurs, the Birthparents and adoptive parents maintain direct contact through the telephone, e-mail and face-to-face meetings without using somebody else as in intermediary.

What I see most of the time is people starting out in the semi-open phase first.  After they build a relationship and trust they then move more to the open phase and no longer need anyone as a go-between.  As with any relationship, you don’t typically jump in head first but take the opportunity to know another person.

These are the basic differences in the types of openness in adoption that you can have.  As you can see, you can work with Birthparents to come up with a plan that works for everyone.  It really is not a black or white decision but one that you can make that ranges anywhere along the continuum.  Whatever type of adoption you choose to have, you need to make sure that you are making the decision not only based on what is right for you but what is best and most healthy for your child and their future.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 14th, 2006 at 5:14 am and is filed under Adoption. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.