Post Adoption Contact is Open Adoption
Adoption STAR encourages all parties to learn about post adoption. Give yourself the opportunity to understand what an open adoption is all about.
Adoption STAR believes “Open Adoption” benefits the adoptee, the adoptive parents and birth parents.
Open adoption, also known as Post Adoption Contact, represents the joining of two families based on love and trust. With an open adoption birth families and adoptive families maintain significant ongoing contact after a placement. In some cases, this takes the form of sharing non-identifying information and sometimes it means the full exchange of identifying information between birth and adoptive families, if all parties are comfortable. This contact may include telephone calls, visiting with each other and the child, sharing photos and letters or corresponding via e-mail and text.
Open adoption can be a scary proposition for many prospective adoptive parents, as well as expecting parents. During the beginning stages of your relationship with the agency, you will be given the opportunity to learn more about open adoption, to discuss your fears and to eliminate any lingering doubts you may have about this type of adoption.
Open adoption benefits all members of the adoption triad. There are several benefits for adoptive parents, birth parents and adoptees. Here are just a few:
Open adoption provides the adoptive parents with the unique opportunity to “get to know” the birth parents of their child, enabling them to answer questions that their child might pose to them as they grow. The fear of an unknown birth parent returning to claim a child is gone. Birth parents become real people. Open adoption is not co-parenting; the adoptive parents are irreplaceable as the parents in the life of their child.
Open adoption also allows birth parents the peace of mind they can only get by meeting the family who will raise their child into adulthood. They have trust that the child is well. They are given the proper respect for themselves, their decision, and the important role they play in their child’s life.
Most importantly, open adoption provides adopted children with the understanding of “why” they were placed for adoption and the ability to be able to contact their birth parents, should they want to. This helps with identity issues-knowing who they look like and having a sense of connectedness with biological family members. The child has a direct ongoing source of medical and other important information. And especially, the child knows that an adoption plan was made out of love.