What is the difference between Open, Semi-open and Closed Adoptions

The adoption world is full of industry terms and language that can be confusing to many. As many couples quickly learn, there is a lot more to the adoption process than simply deciding whether or not to pursue an adoption plan -- including what type of adoption they wish to pursue.

One of the most confusing issues facing prospective adoptive couples is the varying types of adoptions. Adding to this confusion is the fact that nearly every adoption professional has a different definition of what a closed, open and semi-open adoption entails.

Here is a list of what American Adoptions considers to be a closed, open and semi-open adoption:

Closed Adoptions

When many people think about adoption, they envision a closed adoption in which the adoptive family and birth mother remain confidential, with no contact prior to or after the placement of the child. For many generations, it was common practice to keep adoptions closed. However, in the early 1980s, adoption began to shift toward more openness. Today, some people believe closed adoptions to be "safer," mainly out of a fear that if the birth parents know where the adoptive family lives, that they will "take back" the child. While this fear has largely been perpetuated by television movies and sensationalized media reports, this is not true. Today's adoption laws are very clear - once the adoption is finalized, the adoptive family is recognized as the child's legal family.

Open Adoptions

While many adoption professionals have varying definitions of what an "open" adoption is, it typically means that the birth parents and the adoptive family speak prior to and even after the child is born without any agency involvement. This may include phone calls and face-to-face visits. Some adoptions of his nature are very open, with the adoptive family and birth parents exchanging contact information and agreeing to periodic visits by the birth parents as the child grows.

Semi-Open Adoptions

Semi-open adoptions fall in between open and closed adoptions. The adoptive family and birth parents usually will know basic information about each other, such as their first names and state of residence. Complete contact information, such as phone numbers and addresses, are not shared. While adoptive families and birth parents may speak to one another prior to the birth of the child, some confidentiality is maintained. Once the child has been placed with the adoptive family, the birth parents may still stay in contact with the family via letters and pictures, however this correspondence is handled by a third party, such as the adoption agency. American Adoptions handles all correspondence between our birth parents and adoptive families in a semi-open adoption. Our agency maintains the current contact information for each party - if the birth parents or adoptive family wishes to send a letter or pictures to the other party, they simply mail it to the agency. We then repackage the letter so there is no identifying information (such as mailing address) and forward it on to the recipient.

Homestudy

We had our first home visit by DFCS. I tell you its totally different than adopting privately. First off, the homestudy visit is there as an interview about you to tell DFCS of your past and make sure that you are the right material to foster a child in care. Your private homestudy is more of a coaching session to you to get your home ready.

DFCS wants to know your past employment, what you made at your past employment. What is your brothers phone number. What does he do. Do you have a good relationship with your parents. Do you have a good relationship with your brothers. How does your extended family feel about your decision to foster? They really go into a lot more detail about your life than a private/agency adoption. Most of the private adoption questions are in the forms. Fill out this form. Most of the DFCS questions are both. Fill out the form and Answer the question.

The plus about the DFCS is that they provide the fingerprints to you during the IMPACT training. The private adoption makes you go get fingerprinted somewhere. We had to goto the county jail. It was quite an event.

Now we wait to find out if DFCS wants to come out again to the house or if we go active soon.

My Fifth IMPACT Class - The Empire Strikes Back

This class was calm and we were covering behavioural issues which sounds like it would be good but we have covered that over and over over the past 5 weeks. The third module was transgender placements. Basically covering what you need to do if you have a child of a different race in your home. The State's opinion is that you need to expose the child to whatever "culture" he/she belongs to. That sparked a heated debate over what that means and the aspect of what difference does it make what skin color the child has. It would have been a cool debate if you hadn't worked 8 hours, gotten a baby sitter, rushed over to the DFCS office and then sat through 2 hours of mind numbing material.

On another note, have you guys watched the movie, "The Blind Side?" If you haven't then please go and try to see it. Great Great movie. Sandra Bulloch was phenomenol and this was a true story.

Catholic Charities

One agency to consider for a low cost adoption is the Catholic Charoties adoption program. http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/Page.aspx?pid=1670 In the Atlanta area, the program runs about 18k which is far lower than the other programs we were looking into. I don't endorse them because I have never used their service. I just want you to have some alternatives to check into. The last time I researched this, you do NOT have to be Catholic to use this service.

Best of luck

My Fourth Impact Class

So we are still in training with our Impact classes. Now let me tell you that these classes are pretty boring for the most part. Every week we have to read vocabulary words. So its like you are in elementary school. Now on the positive side we did get some good info this week. There's an organization in our county that helps foster parents with networking and gives them help in training information. They let us know that if you are a foster parent you must complete 10 hours of training a year. Very helpful. Because we are in the IMPACT training that will cover us for the first year.

We also wanted to get what is known as a Natural Helper form so that my wifes mother could keep the foster child. What this means is that her home will be visited by an case worker. Whereas the Respite workers have to take the IMPACT classes, the natural helpers just need their home inspected and to get fingerprinted.

Heres the link for our county org. http://www.fosteroradopt.org

Best of luck

143 Million.org

The 143 Million Campaign

See a video of Mack Powell and his wife Amy at the Catalyst conference in Atlanta. Catalyst is a conference sponsered by Andy Stanley and Northpoint Community church. They are really pushing people to adoption which fulfills the word of God. Check this out. Really good stuff.

Catalyst is recognizing our call to care for orphans and widows (James 1:27). As believers, we feel led and committed to respond to this call in the year ahead. If you do not know, there are 143 million orphans around the world. This statistic has gripped the Catalyst community and left a desire to be the hands and feet of Christ to those in need. Below are four important initiatives you can join. We are committed to care... are you open to what God has next?

http://143million.org/

What is ICPC?

First off, this is for Domestic adoptions only and not International. The Definition is Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) is an agreement by all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, to provide a process to move children across state lines for the purpose of adoption, foster care or residential care, while protecting their safety and well-being. Every state has signed the ICPC and it is state law. The compact guarantees that each state's adoption laws and procedures are met and that the child's placement is properly managed and finalized. For more information about the ICPC, visit its website at http://icpc.aphsa.org

How does it work? Lets say that you live in GA and you are working with an agency who has matched you with a birth mom in NY. The agency calls you and you get on a plane and travel to NY for the birth. You are dismissed from the hospital in two days, ready to go back to GA with your new baby. Not so fast. Your agency will file paperwork to get the ball started for NY to shake hands with GA and say that its all right to bring the baby across state lines. Now what that means is that you have to wait until ICPC is signed before you can leave NY. Lets say that the baby is born in Manhatten. You don't have to stay in Manhatten, you can go to Buffalo, Albany, anywhere in the state, you just cant cross the state lines.

How long does it take? 7-10 days is the average. That depends on the adoption laws from that state. Your agency can help you with these rules. Good luck

My Third IMPACT class

This class was very interesting. In the last class, they seemed to indicate that you couldn't adopt an infant through the foster system. This class had several examples with how to take care of Infant through 18 months verses 18 months through 3, etc.. We are still working through the paperwork and it is getting better for this Thursday. My wife and I still have to get our septic system approved, and get our physicals. After our classes, we have the homestudy and they seem to indicate that will be scheduled during our classes. We are moving right along.