Adoption Types

There are different types of adoption that you can choose from when making your plan of adoption.  Each type has a different  level of contact between the birth parents, adoptive parents, and the child. As a birth parent, you have control over what adoption type you choose. You’ll choose a type of adoption based on what level of contact you want, what your state allows, and what agency or facilitator you select.

 
 

Open Adoption

An open adoption allows direct contact between you, adoptive parents, and your child. Typically, your adoption plan would include choosing who the adoptive parents to your child will be and how you would like to stay in contact. This could be exchanging letters, pictures and visits with your child. In this this type of adoption you can have direct contact before and after the adoption with the adoptive parents.

 

How would this look in real life?

  • You have greater  control over the adoption process
  • You have the potential for a role in your child’s life
  • You have comfort in knowing about your child’s well-being

Semi-open Adoption

A semi-open adoption is a variation of open adoption. Before your child is placed in his/her adoptive family, the birth parents and pre-adoptive parents exchange only limited information that would be non-indentifying. For example, you would exchange first names (no last names), area that you live (no exact addresses), etc. Once your child is placed into their adoptive home, you and your child can have contact through pictures, letters, or other types of communications sent through the adoption agency or the attorney who assisted with the placement.

 

How would this look in real life?

  • You, the adoptive parents and your child would have some level of privacy
  • You, the adoptive parents and your child have the ability for contact
  • You would have comfort in knowing about child’s well-being

 

Closed adoption 

(“confidential adoption”)

A closed adoption would allow for no direct contact between you, the adoptive parents, and your child. You may be given some non-identifying information about the adoptive parents, like what type of jobs they have or how old they are. The adoptive parents are given information that will help them take good care of your child, such as medical or family history. Specific information, like names and addresses, are not given to either party. A closed adoption is not as widely used today as it used to be in years past.

 

How does this look in real life?

  • You, the adoptive parents and you child would have a high level of privacy
  • There is the possibility that you and your child could experience a sense of isolation because there is no contact of any kind.