Adoption Words

I realized today that just because we have been in the "adoption circle" for almost 5 years now and are familiar with certain terms, that you (my faithful readers) may not be! Here is a list of common terms used in adoption, many of which I have used regularly on this blog! Hope this helps!


Adoptee: Any person who has been adopted.
Adoption Facilitator: Unlicensed organizations or individuals offering adoption services, illegal in many states.
Adoption Triad/Triangle: The three parties involved in an adoption (adoptee, adoptive parents and birth parents).
Adoptive Parent: Someone who legally assumes parental rights/responsibilities for an adopted child or children.
Birth Mother/Birth Father/Birth Parents: Biological mother or father of a child that is adopted or planning to be adopted (sometimes referred to as natural or first mother/father).
Closed Adoption: Adoption in which confidentiality of both adoptive parents and birth parents are protected under the law, the courts seal all records.
Consent: The legal document signed by the birth mother and birth father allowing their child to be placed for adoption (also referred to as a surrender or relinquishment).
Finalization: Court action that grants permanent legal custody of a child to the adoptive parents.
Home Study: A study that is conducted on all prospective adoptive parents by an authorized adoption professional in their state. A home study is normally completed prior to placement of a child in the home and validates suitability to adopt for the courts.
Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC): The legal compact between states that allows for the placement of children for adoption across state lines. Required when the birth mother and adoptive parents reside in different states.
Living Expenses: Expenses in adoption that help the birth parents with items such as rent, food, clothing and utilities. Living expenses are provided by prospective adoptive parents and are provided based on the birth parents' needs and state laws.
Match: When a birth mother and adoptive family are connected in anticipation that the birth mother will place her baby with that adoptive family.
Open Adoption: An adoption where birth parents and adoptive parents meet, names and addresses may be exchanged and communication may continue indefinitely; terms of open adoptions vary greatly depending on the needs and comfort levels of everyone involved.
Post-Placement Visits: Meetings and interviews with an adoptive family once a child has been placed with them that is typically conducted by the professional who completed the home study.
Semi-Open Adoption/Semi-Closed Adoption: Adoption where the adoptive family and birth parents may talk, meet and have correspondence after the adoption, but little or no identifying information is exchanged. At American Adoptions, we assist adoptive families and birth parents in semi-open adoptions by handling all correspondence through the agency.