What is open adoption?

Open adoption is a legal agreement between potential adoptive parents and birth parents, or adoptive parents and the adoptive child, which allows for interaction between the involved parties. In open adoption, the birth parents are allowed (and sometimes even encouraged) to maintain contact with the adopted child, even after the adoption is finalized. This can be through in-person visits, telephone calls, emails, or other forms of communication. Open adoption helps to provide the child with an understanding of their birth family’s history and culture and creates a stronger bond between the child and both their adoptive and birth families. Open adoption is very different from closed adoption, which was the predominant type of adoption prior to the 1990s. In a closed adoption, there is no contact between the birth and adoptive families, and all communication is routed through an adoption agency or adoption attorney. In an open adoption, the adoptive parents may exchange identifying information with the birth family, and sometimes even meet or communicate with them. Open adoption has become popular in recent years and many states, including Delaware, have laws that regulate open adoption. This includes laws governing who is eligible to adopt, the consent of the birth parents, and what type of communication can occur between the families. Open adoption laws in Delaware strive to protect the best interests of the child, while also ensuring adoptive families can be bonded together in a healthy and meaningful relationship.

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What is open adoption?

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