Closed vs. Open Adoption
If you are committed to growing your family through adoption, you’re facing a challenging legal process that is also extremely rewarding. Along the way, you’ll need to answer a range of important questions, and one of these is whether the adoption will be open or closed. Having a better understanding of the differences between the two can leave you better prepared to make the right choice for you. Our experienced Forsyth County adoption attorneys at Banks, Stubbs & McFarland are well prepared to help you successfully navigate the adoption process on your terms.
Open Adoption
Open adoptions allow the birth parents and the adoptive parents to maintain a connection after the child has been placed. The degree of openness between the two sets of parents is determined by the agreement between them.
Forms of Communication
Possibilities for communication back and forth include:
- Email and other forms of electronic communication
- Shared photos
- Phone calls
- Visitation
The frequency of contact can range considerably.
The goal is to allow members of both families to connect to the degree that is comfortable for all involved. The level of connection runs on a continuum from fully open to completely closed adoption cases.
The Benefits of Open Adoption
The benefits of open adoption include the following:
- Answering the questions adopted children have regarding lost relationships with the truth rather than with figments of their imagination
- Minimizing the degree to which adopted children experience related loss
- Maintaining and even celebrating all the important connections in the lives of adopted children
Open adoption supports more open relationships, which is widely considered beneficial for children and parents alike.
The Benefits of a Closed Adoption
Closed adoptions lie on the other end of the spectrum. In a closed adoption, the birth parents and the adoptive parents generally have no contact with one another. Instead, the adoption process is guided by a knowledgeable adoption lawyer, an adoption agency, or both.
The benefits of a closed adoption include the following:
- Complete privacy
- No coparenting interference
- Uninterrupted bonding between the adoptive child and parents
Ultimately, limited identifying information is exchanged regarding either family. Once the adoption is finalized, the case is sealed, and communication ends. The records for closed adoptions require a court order to unseal them.
Semi-Open Adoption
Adoptions can also fall somewhere in the middle of the two extremes. Semi-open adoption allows parents who are adopting to maintain a line of communication with the biological parents of the adoptive child, but with limited or indirect contact.
In these cases, any back-and-forth between the two sets of parents can be conducted through a neutral third-party, such as the dedicated adoption attorney. As the adoptive child matures or as circumstances change (and when both sets of parents agree), semi-open adoptions can allow more open forms of communication.
Discuss Your Concerns with Our Experienced Forsyth County Adoption Lawyers Today
Our thorough Forsyth County adoption attorneys at Banks, Stubbs & McFarland have the compassion, experience, and legal insight to help guide you on the path toward an adoption that works well for you and your adoptive child. For more information about what we can do to help, please don’t hesitate to contact us online or give our firm a call at 770-887-1209 today.