Ongoing Contact With Birth Families in Adoption

Adoption practitioners should encourage contact between birth parents, adoptive parents, and the adopted person (also referred to as openness in adoption). The amount of contact may vary from family to family and may change over time. This communication may include little or no contact; mediated contact through a third party, anonymous email, or letters; or infrequent or ongoing in-person interactions. There is not one type or degree of communication that is right for every family. This section includes resources and information on methods that can be used to maintain connections in adoption

Contact Between Adoptive and Birth Families: Perspectives From the Minnesota Texas Adoption Research Project
Grotevant, McRoy, Wrobel, & Ayers-Lopez (2014)
Provides findings from a study on the dynamics of relationships among birth parents, adoptive parents, and adopted children based upon the level of contact. The study concludes with implications for the field. 

Helping Children and Youth Maintain Relationships With Birth Families
Series Title Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability View
Download (PDF - 335KB)
Order (Free)
Year Published 2019
Provides professionals with information to help children, youth, and adoptive families develop and maintain appropriate and evolving connections with their birth families. Children and youth who are adopted need to maintain relationships with their birth families, previous caregivers, or other important connections, and it is vital that their parents support them in doing so. Nurturing these relationships is in the best interests of the child, as ongoing contact with birth family members may minimize or resolve his or her feelings of grief and loss due to separation.

Managing Shifting Expectations in Open Adoption Over Time
Sink (2015)
Adoption Advocate, 84
National Council for Adoption
Shares the experience of a birth mother participating in an open adoption and how and why her expectations shifted. The brief recommends key questions birth parents should ask throughout the process.

Open Adoption
Creating a Family
Offers information about openness in adoption, including interviews with adoption professionals, blogs, and suggested books.

Understanding Open Adoption 
Adoptive Families Magazine (2016)
Provides an overview of the challenges of open adoption and findings in current research.

(Back to Top)

Common fears regarding ongoing contact with birth family

Fears and Consequence in Choosing Open Adoption
Bliss (2017)
Psychology Today
Identifies and addresses common myths and misconceptions that birth and adoptive families have about openness in adoption.

Openness in Adoption: From Secrecy and Stigma to Knowledge and Connections
Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute (2012)
View Abstract and Document
Presents a report depicting how extensively adoption in the U.S. has changed over the last several decades.

(Back to Top)

Mediation

Mediating a Family: The Use of Mediation in the Formation and Enforcement of Post-Adoption Contact Agreements
Mashburn (2015)
Journal of Resolution Dispute, 2(7)
Discusses the history of postadoption contract agreements; best practices for utilizing postadoption contact agreements; and the use of mediation to further the interests of children, adoptive families, and birth parents.

Open Adoption Mediation
New Mexico Courts
Provides information on open adoption mediation, including which parties are involved, the full process, and documentation.

Postadoption Contact Agreements Between Birth and Adoptive Families
Series Title State Statutes
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability View
Download (PDF - 551KB)
Year Published 2019
Presents State statutes on postadoption contact agreements, which are arrangements that allow contact between a child's adoptive family and members of the child's birth family. Topics covered include the contents of agreements; parties to agreements; the court's role; and enforcing, modifying, and terminating agreements.

(Back to Top)

State and local examples

Open Adoption Agreement (PDF - 5,040 KB)
Connecticut Alliance of Foster and Adoptive Families (2017)
Presents an overview of open adoption, as well as legal information for foster parents in Connecticut.

What is Open Adoption
AdvoKids (2017)
Explains the different types of openness in adoption, the history of open adoption in California, the rights of parents, questions adoptive parents should ask, and postadoption contract agreements.

(Back to Top)