Providing Adoptive Parents With Information About Adoptees and Their Birth Families - Michigan

Date: August 2020

Agency or Person Preparing the Report

Citation: Comp. Laws § 710.27

Background information for the adoptive parents may be provided by a parent or guardian, a child-placing agency, the department, or the court that places the child.

Contents of Report About the Adopted Person

Citation: Comp. Laws § 710.27

A written document shall contain all the following nonidentifying information:

  • Date, time, and place of birth of the child, including the hospital, city, county, and State
  • An account of the health and genetic histories of the child, including the following:
    • The child's prenatal care
    • The child's medical condition at birth
    • Any drug or medication taken by the child's mother during pregnancy
    • Any subsequent medical, psychological, psychiatric, or dental examinations and diagnoses
    • Any psychological evaluation done when the child was under the jurisdiction of the court
    • Any neglect or physical, sexual, or emotional abuse suffered by the child
    • A record of any immunizations and health care the child received while in foster or other care
  • A description of the child, including all of the following:
    • Given first name at birth
    • The age and sex of siblings
    • Enrollment and performance in school, results of educational testing, and any special educational needs
    • Racial, ethnic, and religious background
    • An account of the child's past and existing relationship with any relative, foster parent, or other individual or facility with whom the child has lived or visited on a regular basis
    • Any information necessary to determine the child's eligibility for State or Federal benefits, including financial, medical, or other assistance

Contents of Report About the Birth Family

Citation: Comp. Laws § 710.27

A written document shall contain all the following nonidentifying information:

  • An account of the health and genetic histories of the child's birth parents and other members of the child's family, including the following:
    • Any known hereditary conditions or diseases
    • The health of each parent at the child's birth
    • A summary of the findings of any medical, psychological, or psychiatric evaluations of each parent at the time of placement
    • If a parent is deceased, the cause of and the age at death
  • A description of the child's family of origin, including all the following:
    • A general description of the child's parents, including the age of the child's parents at the time of termination of parental rights and the length of time the parents had been married at the time of placement
    • The levels of educational, occupational, professional, athletic, or artistic achievement of the child's family
    • Hobbies, special interests, and school activities of the child's family
    • The circumstances of any judicial order terminating the parental rights of a parent for abuse, neglect, abandonment, or other mistreatment of the child
    • Length of time between the termination of parental rights and adoptive placement and whether the termination was voluntary or court ordered

When the Report Is Made

Citation: Comp. Laws § 710.27

The written report must be available before placement of a child for adoption. In a direct placement, the parent or guardian shall transmit the required information to the court before the termination of parental rights.

Exceptions for Stepparent or Relative Adoptions

Citation: Comp. Laws § 710.27

This section does not apply to a stepparent adoption or to the adoption of a child related to the petitioner within the fifth degree by marriage, blood, or adoption.

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