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If you are considering making an adoption plan for your unborn baby and doing your research and educating yourself on adoption issues, you are probably getting lost in all the lingo and terms. 
So I thought, it would be a good idea to do a little series on some of the different adoption terms and lingo that you may be coming across during your reading. Some of these things I may have previously written about, but it’s always good to re-read them or learn more about them and I know we are getting new readers all the time who may not have the time to go through the old posts. So I’ll play teacher and we’ll review some of the terms.
- Adoption decree – Legal order that finalizes the adoption to the adoptive parents
- Birthparents, Birthmother, and Birthfather – Refers to the people who biologically created the child NOTE: There are also other terms that can be used to refer to a birthmother such as first mom or life mom. Birthmom just happens to be the one most commonly used. Also, you are not a birthmother until you sign relinquishment papers. Until that moment, you are simply an expectant mother.
- Closed adoption – Birth parents do not meet the adoptive parents and no contact is maintained after the birth and placement of the child
- Confidential Adoption – a more up-to-date term for closed adoption.
- Familial adoption – Adoptions in which the adoptive parents and birthparents are related in some way (Also known as kinship adoption)
- Home study – Assessment of the adoptive parents’ ability to provide a healthy and happy home. All adoptive parents must complete a home study before adopting. The home study includes background checks, doctors’ reports, financial information, etc.. and is typically done by a licensed social worker
- Open adoption – Refers to adoptions where the birth parents and adoptive parents have met and have some level of ongoing contact with each other. Contact can include letters, pictures, visits, etc.
- Openness Agreement – Document that states the intended amount of contact in an open adoption between the adoptive parents and the birthparents. NOTE: These are not legally enforceable.
- Relinquishment papers – A legal document that birth parents must sign terminating their parental rights.
- Semi open adoption – Birthparents and adoptive parents may meet prior to the birth of the child, but typically do not know identifying information about each other. Contact can be maintained through a 3rd party.
- Triad – Term used to describe the three parties represented in adoptions: the birthparents, the adoptive parents, and the adopted child.
I will expand on some of the terms in the next post and to find more on adoption terms check out the Adoption Glossary.
