There are basically four types adoptions:

1. Confidential adoptions (closed) - no exchange of information between birth and adoptive families post-placement;
   
2. Time-limited mediated adoptions (semi-open) - information (generally non-identifying) exchanged by an agency caseworker or third party for a specific period following the adoption at the end of which, information exchanges stop;
   
3. Ongoing mediated adoptions (semi-open) - information (generally non-identifying) exchanges are mediated by an agency or third party on an ongoing basis, and
   
4. Fully disclosed adoptions (open) - direct sharing of information between adoptive and birth family member(s) including the child(ren), usually accompanied by face-to-face meetings.

A recent study by the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute reported that by 1999, nearly 80% of agencies were offering "fully disclosed" (open) adoptions; however, without solid pre-adoption education for both placing and adopting parents, and clear definitions of terms, the child-centered benefits of open adoption can be misunderstood and even feared.

"Cooperative Adoption" has been used to mean an adoption where contact after placement is part of the process; however, over the past decade, it has become synonymous with "open adoption" to many.

The Problem with Definitions

One of the difficulties in understanding open adoption is that definitions vary widely and adopting and placing parents often have different understandings. For example:

from the National Adoption Information Clearinghouse:

Open, or fully disclosed, adoptions allow adoptive parents, and often the adopted child, to interact directly with birth parents. Family members interact in ways that feel most comfortable to them. Communication may include letters, e-mails, telephone calls, or visits. The frequency of contact is negotiated and can range from every few years to several times a month or more.

from Insight: Open Adoption Resources & Support:

The primary difference between a truly open adoption and a semi-open adoption is that the adopted child has the potential of developing a one-on-one relationship with his or her birthfamily. It is not about the adoptive parents bestowing upon birthparents the privilege of contact, nor is it about birthparents merely being available to provide information over the years. Direct contact, in the form of letters, phone calls and visits between the birthfamily and the adopted child, along with his adoptive family, is essential if they are to establish their own relationship.

As you explore open adoption, be sure that you, your agency or attorney, and all other parties to the adoption have the same understanding of "open adoption" and "cooperative adoption," something which is best established when placing and adopting parents discuss it together.

Additional Reading:

Of Special Interest to All Parties to an Open Adoption

• Adoption Relationships, from AdoptionNetwork
  
• What is Open Adoption? from the National Adoption Information Clearinghouse
  
• Kinship Style: Open, Closed, or Shifting, by Gail Steinberg and Beth Hall
  
• Between Adoptive Parents and Birthmothers, by Marcy Wineman Axness, Ph.D.
  
• Post-Adoption Contact Agreements - What you need to know about these written agreements between placing and adopting parents: What they are, why you might want to make one, how to make one, and legal considerations.
  
• Open Adoption Research

Of Special Interest to Adopting Parents

• A Look At Open Adoption For Prospective Adopters, by Lois Melina
  
• The Open Adoption Experience, by Lois Melina and Sharon Kaplan Roszia

Of Special Interest to Placing Parents

• Relationship with Adopting Parents
  
• Open Adoption: What exactly does open adoption mean?, by Sharon Roberts
  
• Precious Little Son, by an unnamed birthmother
  
• Achieving Understanding, by Marta Barton

More: Articles on Open Adoption