With an open adoption, the birth mother selects the adoptive family and, in most cases, continues to have some level of contact with them and the child after the adoption. The type and amount of contact is different with each adoption based on each family and their unique interaction preferences.
Some families are more comfortable sending photos and letters, while others find more satisfaction in phone calls, visits, or celebrating holidays together. Sometimes, the birth mother would prefer to have limited contact for a while.
In any case, the nature and frequency of post-birth communication in an open adoption depends on the needs of everyone involved, and circumstances often change over time.
Types of Open Adoption
Open adoptions in Jacksonville, Florida, fall into one of two categories:
- Fully open arrangement – In this situation, the birth mother meets and interacts with the adoptive parents during the placement process. Everyone exchanges phone numbers, email addresses, and other identifying information, and the birth parent remains in direct contact with the adoptive family after the baby is born.
- Semi-open arrangement – When a birth mother prefers to maintain her privacy, an agency caseworker or adoption attorney acts as a go-between for letters, pictures, and updates. Identifying information may be shared in a semi-open adoption, but most meetings and communications are facilitated by an adoption professional.
How Does This Differ From Closed Adoption?
In contrast, a closed option involves no contact between the birth mother and the adoptive family. However, even in a closed adoption there is some information shared between the parties.
This is called, “non-identifying information” – such as general physical descriptions and medical history of both parties – may be released. In Jacksonville, Florida, closed adoptions are increasingly rare, but the arrangement makes sense in certain circumstances.
Open Adoption Services in Jacksonville, FL
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