With Hollywood adoptions is fashionable, exemplified by mega-couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, adoption has been pushed to the forefront of the collective consciousness of America. People generally understand what adoption is, but some obscure details about adoption that go unknown. For example, different types of adoption? What is the process of adoption, how? What is the difference between adopted children and foster children?
All these are important questions, each of which this article briefly touched. First, there are two main types of adoption nationally and internationally. This article will focus on the different types of domestic adoption in the United States. The most important thing to remember is that once the adoption is finalized, adopted children and biological children are not different in the eyes of the law. Either adopted or born into the family, all children are equal members of the family system.
Open Adoption:
There are actually two definitions of this term. When used in the United States, the most common open adoption: the adoption in which the biological parent (s) is (are) involved in the process and remain so even after its completion. Typically, the biological parents choose to meet the prospective adoptive parents before choosing to enroll their children in their care. This is usually done before the baby is born. The two sets of parents agree that the birth parents be allowed to continue participating in the child’s life, although not in a parental role. Phone calls, letters, and regular visits are not uncommon in this type of agreement.
This term can also be used to indicate a type of adoption where the adopted person has access to their own files and records. In the UK, for example, adopted children are granted this right when they turn 18.
Semi-Open Adoption:
A modification of the foregoing, semi-open adoption involves significantly less participation in the life of the child by the birth parent (s). The adoptive parents and birth parents can still meet face to face before starting the adoption process, but usually no physical contact beyond that. Birth parents and children occasionally can exchange photos and letters.
Closed Adoption:
In this type of adoption, minimal information is shared between birth and adoptive parents before placement. After the finalization of adoption, adoptive and birth parents do not share information. This type of adoption can take place in cases of child abuse or neglect, or when the biological parent (s) has (n) specified that they do not want to contact.
Foster Care Adoption:
This happens when a foster child is adopted by his foster parents. Children may be placed in foster care of one of a number of reasons, one is abuse or neglect. Foster children can be – which means that adoptive parents are the guardians, but children are not legally their own – or the adoptive parents sometimes choose to adopt them. After the completion of adoption, foster child officially becomes the child from his foster parents.