Openness in Adoption: Building Relationships Between Adoptive and Birth Families

Series Title: Factsheets for Families

Author(s): Child Welfare Information Gateway

Year Published: 2013

(PDF - 356 KB)

Describes open adoption, which allows adoptive parents, and often the adopted child, to interact with the child's birth parents or family. To support adoptive families in considering and maintaining open adoption, this factsheet describes various levels of openness, potential benefits, important considerations, and tips for building and strengthening open relationships. Open adoption is becoming increasingly common, in part due to a growing recognition of the potential benefits of allowing an adopted child or youth to establish or maintain connections with his or her birth family.

Table of Contents

Introduction

What Is Open Adoption?

Trends Toward Increasing Openness

Benefits of Open Adoption

Deciding Whether Open Adoption Is Right for Your Family

Building and Maintaining Relationships With Your Child’s Birth Family

Using Social Media for Contact With Birth Families

Resources for More Information

We also recommend the following Information Gateway publications:

Searching for Birth Relatives
(Factsheets for Families)
Helping Your Foster Child Transition to Your Adopted Child
(Factsheets for Families)
Postadoption Contact Agreements Between Birth and Adoptive Families
(State Statutes)

Suggested Citation: Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2013). Openness in adoption: Building relationships between adoptive and birth families. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children's Bureau.

This material may be freely reproduced and distributed. However, when doing so, please credit Child Welfare Information Gateway.