Post Adoption Contact Agreements (try saying that three times fast) are written communication agreements between expectant mothers and/or fathers and prospective adoptive parents that detail contact between them after the finalization of the adoption. They are not legally binding or legally enforceable but yet I view them as a step in the right direction. Ultimately they can’t withstand without legal action, but at least they are become more common, viewed, used, etc. which in my opinion is at least taking one step forward.

Post Adoption Contact Agreements can help you in being sure that the prospective adoptive parents you are working with are on the same page with contact and the adoption plan in general as you are. Detailed and child centered, post adoption contact agreements can lay out the future exchange of pictures, emails, phone calls, visits, etc. and include the frequency.

Post adoption contact agreements can be drawn up and mediated by adoption professionals but don’t always have to be. A good friend and her daughter’s adoptive mom sat down and wrote the whole thing themselves, just how they wanted it, without involving a third party.

A few tips on post adoption contact agreements from an article on them:

• Wording of post-adoption agreements be specific;
  Both parties should be as honest about their desires and expectations.



• Some agreements may include members of the extended birth family (i.e., grandparents) or others, depending on prior contact, if it's considered advisable for the well-being of the child.



• All parties should remember that flexibility is key in meeting a child's needs.

Another tip I’d like to add is to leave room for flexibility. You never know exactly how you are going to feel post relinquishment and leaving a little room for more openness will be helpful if you decide you want more contact than you originally thought.

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