Glossary of Key Adoption Terms

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 parents while the child is growing up, spelled out in a written agreement. The agreement is mediated by A Child's Waiting representatives who are 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 couple.

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

1. Closed Adoptions
2. Correspondence through Agency, non-identifying
3. Correspondence directly between adoptive and birth family
4. Visits facilitated by agency in neutral site, non-identifying
5. Visits in home, identifying info shared