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FACTSHEET 

FOR FAMILIES

January 2013

Use your smartphone to 

access this factsheet online.

Openness in Adoption: 

Building Relationships 

Between Adoptive 

and Birth Families

What’s Inside:

• What is open adoption?

• Trends toward increasing openness 

• Benefits of open adoption

• Deciding whether open adoption is right 

for your family 

• Building and maintaining relationships 

with your child’s birth family

• Using social media for contact with birth 

families

Open adoption allows adoptive parents, and often 

the adopted child, to interact with the child’s birth 

parents. Openness can vary greatly from family to 

family and may change over time. Open adoption 

is becoming increasingly common, in part due to 

a growing recognition of the potential benefits of 

allowing an adopted child or youth to establish or 

maintain connections with his or her birth family. 

To support adoptive families in considering and 
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Information Gateway. Available online at https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_openadopt.cfm

maintaining open adoption, this factsheet 

describes various levels of openness, 

potential benefits, important considerations, 

and tips for building and strengthening 

open relationships.1

What Is Open Adoption?

Open adoption is a type of adoption in 

which birth and adoptive families have 

some form of initial and/or ongoing contact. 

Contact may begin with a meeting between 

an expectant mother and potential adoptive 

parents. Sometimes, an expectant parent 

may choose the adoptive family based on 

such a meeting or other communication. 

After placement, birth mothers and/or 

fathers and members of their extended 

families may interact in various ways with 

the adoptive parents, as well as with the 

adopted child or youth. Communication 

may happen through letters, emails, social 

media exchanges, telephone calls, or visits. 

While some families may exchange brief 

notes and photos, others may spend more 

time together and celebrate birthdays or 

holidays together. The type and frequency 

of contact will be decided by the people 

involved and can range from several 

times a month to every few years. Contact 

often changes as a child ages or as family 

members’ needs and wishes change. 

Parents have several options available 

related to openness. Some think of the 

options as a continuum, shown in the 

1 While this factsheet includes information primarily for 

adoptive parents, it also may be of interest to birth parents. 

Pregnant women thinking about placing their child for adoption 

also may be interested in Open Adoption: Could Open 

Adoption Be the Best Choice for You and Your Baby? available 

from https://www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/birth/for/

diagram on the next page. On one end 

of the continuum is a confidential, 

or closed, adoption. In this type of 

adoption, no contact occurs between birth 

and adoptive families and no identifying 

information is shared. (Some nonidentifying 

information, such as medical history, may 

be provided through an adoption agency or 

attorney.2) In the middle of the continuum, 

is a form of openness known as semi-open 

or mediated adoption. In a semi-open 

or mediated adoption, contact is made 

indirectly through a mediator, such as an 

agency caseworker or lawyer, or through 

an anonymous post office or email box. 

While letters, photos, and other information 

may be exchanged between the adoptive 

family and birth family, they do not share 

names and addresses. This type of adoption 

allows for communication, while also 

offering some privacy. On the far end of 

the continuum is an open adoption, also 

referred to as a fully disclosed adoption. In 

an open adoption, identities are known and 

there is direct contact between birth parents 

(and possibly other members of the birth 

families) and the adoptive families. Contact 

may be occasional or frequent, in person 

or remote, and may vary over time. An 

open adoption supports the development 

of relationships, particularly relationships 

between a child and his or her birth parents.

2 Each State has its own laws about the kinds of information 

that may be collected and shared with adopting parents. For 

more information, see Collection of Family Information About 

Adopted Persons and Their Birth Families, available from 

https://www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_policies/

statutes/collection.cfm
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Confidential Adoption Semi-Open Adoption (Mediated) Open Adoption

• No contact • Indirect contact • Direct communication

• No identifying information 

shared

• Share nonidentifying information • Exchange identifying 

information

As highlighted above, there are different 

forms of openness. It is important to 

emphasize, however, that even in a fully 

open adoption, adoptive parents and 

birth parents do not parent their 

child together. In all forms of adoption, 

the adoptive parents have the permanent 

legal rights and responsibilities for parenting 

and raising the child.

Trends Toward 

Increasing Openness

For the past several generations, adoption 

was kept secret. The trend reflected common 

attitudes that children and birth mothers 

should be protected from the “stigma of 

illegitimacy.” Most adopted children did 

not know their birth parents and often 

were not even told they were adopted until 

later in life. Some were never told. It was 

commonly believed that a lack of openness 

would make it easier for the birth parents, 

the adoptive parents, and the children to 

adapt. The sense of secrecy, however, left 

many children and youth, as well as their 

birth families, with unanswered questions 

and unable to resolve feelings of loss. It also 

left young people without access to valuable 

information about their genetic background 

and the medical history of their birth 

relatives. The surrounding secrecy often 

created a sense of shame. 

Today, most adopted children and youth 

know that they are adopted, and many 

adoptive families have had some contact 

with birth families. A national study of 

adoptive families in the United States 

found that in approximately one-third of 

all adoptive families, the adoptive parents 

or the adopted child or youth had some 

contact with the birth family after the 

adoption. Postadoption contact occurred 

more often in private domestic adoption (68 

percent) as compared with adoption from 

foster care (39 percent) and international 

adoption (6 percent).3A more recent study 

among U.S. adoption agencies reported that 

almost all (95 percent) of their domestic 

infant adoptions were open.4

Several factors have contributed to the 

increasing openness of adoption. Foremost, 

there is the growing awareness of the 

negative effects of secrecy and the benefits 

of openness for many adopted children and 

youth, birth parents, and adoptive parents 

(see below.) In recent years, more and more 

birth mothers have asked for openness and 

the ability to receive and share information 

3 Vandivere, S., Malm, K., & Radel, L. (2009). Adoption USA: 

A Chartbook Based on the 2007 National Survey of Adoptive 

Parents. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and 

Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning 

and Evaluation. Retrieved from http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/09/

NSAP/chartbook

4 Siegel, D., & Smith, S. L. (2012). Openness in Adoption. From 

Secrecy and Stigma to Knowledge and Connections. New York, 

NY: Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute. Retrieved from http://

www.adoptioninstitute.org/research/2012_03_openness.php
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as a condition of an adoption. Additionally, 

responding to large numbers of adult 

adopted persons and birth parents who 

returned to adoption agencies to seek 

information about each other, States have 

changed their adoption laws, and agencies 

have added programs and services that 

support open adoption.

Today, another factor plays a part in 

pushing the trend toward openness—the 

Internet and social media. Increasing 

numbers of adopted persons and birth 

parents are finding each other with relative 

speed and little emotional preparation 

through social networking sites, such as 

Facebook. As a result, some adoptive and 

birth parents who initially chose a closed 

adoption are encountering experiences in 

which the adoption is later opened, but 

not always in ways that are agreeable to all 

parties or developmentally appropriate for 

the child. Choosing openness at the time of 

adoption may provide greater control over 

and preparation for the communication 

process as compared with more impromptu 

social media contacts. 

Benefits of Open 

Adoption

Adoption professionals and researchers5

point to important benefits of open 

adoption for adopted children, birth 

parents, and adoptive parents. Since every 

5 See, for example, the research conducted under the 

Minnesota/Texas Adoption Research Project (http://www.

psych.umass.edu/adoption/) and the review presented 

in Openness in Adoption: From Secrecy and Stigma to 

Knowledge and Connections (http://www.adoptioninstitute.org/

research/2012_03_openness.php)

adoption is different and the situations of 

the involved parties vary, these benefits may 

not apply to every adoption.

Benefits for Adopted Children and 

Youth 

Children and youth who have been adopted 

naturally have questions about their 

background and personal histories (Who am 

I? Who do I look like? Why was I adopted?). 

Through openness, adopted children and 

youth gain access to birth parents, and 

possibly grandparents and siblings, which 

removes the need to search and helps 

provide needed answers to compelling 

questions. Regular contact during childhood 

creates a base of familiarity and normalcy 

for adopted children so that they may 

connect more easily with their birth parents 

throughout their lives.

Open adoption allows adopted children and 

youth to:

• Establish a sense of connection and 

belonging

• Develop a deeper understanding of their 

identity and a greater sense of wholeness

• Gain access to important genetic and 

medical information

• Preserve connections not only to family 

but also to their cultural and ethnic 

heritage

• Develop a better understanding for the 

reasons for placement, which can lessen 

feelings of abandonment and increase a 

sense of belonging

• Relate to birth family members as real 

people with strengths and flaws rather 
Openness in Adoption: Building Relationships Between Adoptive and Birth Families

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than idealized (or overly negative) 

fantasies

• Increase the number of supportive adults 

in their lives

• Create a foundation for lifelong 

relationships

Benefits for Birth Parents 

While birth parents of a child placed for 

adoption may continue to feel loss and 

grief over the course of their lives, openness 

can help them deal with these powerful 

emotions. Openness from the earliest stages 

of the adoption process can help birth 

parents gain a sense of control over the 

decision-making related to placement of 

their child. Over time, openness also may 

help birth parents to:

• Gain peace of mind and comfort in 

knowing how their child is doing

• Develop personal relationships with the 

adoptive parents and the child as he or 

she grows

• Become more satisfied with the adoption 

process

Benefits for Adoptive Parents

While openness is becoming a more 

common practice, many people seeking 

to adopt (as well as their families, friends, 

and co-workers) are not familiar with open 

adoption, and many maintain fears and 

false impressions of the concept. Once in 

an open adoption, however, most adoptive 

parents find a comfort level with their 

arrangements.

Open adoption often allows adoptive 

parents to:

• Build a healthy relationship with their 

child’s birth family and provide lifelong 

connections for their child

• Gain direct access to birth family 

members who can answer their child’s 

questions

• Improve their understanding of their 

child’s history 

• Develop more positive attitudes about 

their child’s birth parents

• Increase their confidence and sense of 

permanency in parenting

Openness Is Not for Everyone

In some cases, ongoing contact between a 

birth and adoptive family is not in a child’s 

best interest. This may be true when a 

parent has mental or behavioral issues and 

is unable to maintain a healthy relationship 

or respect appropriate boundaries with a 

child. In some instances, contact might 

result in additional trauma for a child who 

has already been victimized by abuse or 

neglect.

In addition, some parents are comfortable 

only with closed adoption. For example, 

a birth mother may have strong needs for 

privacy or may feel that confidentiality will 

help her to move on with her life. Adoptive 

parents may have concerns over interacting 

with the birth family or may want to have 

greater control over the information that 

their child receives.
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There is no one type of adoption or single 

arrangement that is right for everyone. 

Every adoption is unique and every family 

has its own set of circumstances. Important 

questions to consider and resources to help 

think through related issues are discussed 

below.

Questions to Consider

In exploring open adoption, it is important 

to thoroughly consider what is best for 

your child and family and to think not just 

about current needs and preferences but also 

those that may emerge in the future. For an 

adoption to be truly open, the relationship 

with the birth family must be shared with 

the adopted child. As such, an adoptive 

parent must consider how and when this 

relationship will be shared with the child or 

youth and how it may change as the child 

gets older. 

Some of the questions that adoptive parents 

may want to consider include:

• What would contact between our family 

and our child’s birth family mean to our 

child?

• Do I want my child to know about his 

or her family background and related 

information?

• What forms of communication (letters, 

emails, videos, Facebook, phone calls, 

visits) am I comfortable with?

Deciding Whether 

Open Adoption Is 

Right for Your Family

• At what age should our child be included 

in contact with his or her birth family?

• What role will our child’s birth parents 

(and/or other birth relatives) play in our 

child’s life?

• How will openness with one child’s 

birth family affect adopted siblings who 

have different levels of openness in their 

adoptions?

• How will we react if we choose a closed 

adoption and our child and birth parents 

later establish contact through social 

media or other avenues?

Resources to Help Explore Open 

Adoption 

Adoptive parents can gain a better 

understanding of openness by:

• Talking with professionals who handle 

adoption

• Meeting with a counselor or therapist 

with knowledge and experience in open 

adoption (see Child Welfare Information 

Gateway’s Selecting and Working With a 

Therapist Skilled in Adoption, available 

from https://www.childwelfare.gov/

pubs/f_therapist.pdf)

• Exploring the Internet, including websites 

that provide information and research 

as well as blogs that relay personal 

experiences (see the resource list on at the 

end of this factsheet)

• Reading articles and books about open 

adoption (see abstracts listed under 

Library Search, Child Welfare Information 

Gateway, https://www.childwelfare.gov/

adoption/birth/for/connections.cfm)
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Common Openness Fears and Myths 

(and What the Research Says)6

Myth: Adopted children will become confused 

about who their “real parents” are and suffer 

identify issues.

Reality: Adopted children and youth 

are not confused about who their parents 

are. They understand the different roles 

adoptive and birth parents play in their 

lives. They recognize who gave them life 

and who cares for them on a daily basis. 

Open relationships and conversations about 

adoption often help strengthen the adopted 

youth’s sense of identity.

Myth: Birth parents will try to “reclaim” their 

children.

Reality: There is no evidence that birth 

mothers try to take back their children 

in an open adoption. In some studies, 

ongoing contact with birth parents has 

led to increased comfort levels and helped 

adoptive parents ease such fears. (It is 

important to remember that birth parents 

have terminated parental rights and can’t 

decide after several years to take back their 

children.)

Myth: Birth parents will interfere in the 

adoptive families’ lives, and parents will be 

confused about their rights and responsibilities.

Reality: Participants in open adoption are 

generally not confused about their parenting 

rights and responsibilities. In fact, some 

adoptive parents in open relationships 

report feeling a greater sense of entitlement 

to parent their adopted child.

6 Findings are based on the work of the Minnesota/Texas 

Adoption Research Project. For more information, see 

http://www.psych.umass.edu/adoption/key_findings/

Myth: Birth mothers in open adoption will 

have more problems with feelings of grief and 

loss.

Reality: Many birth mothers are able to 

deal with their grief, loss, and sadness better 

in open adoption than in closed adoption. 

Building and Maintaining 

Relationships With Your 

Child’s Birth Family

Making an open adoption work requires 

commitment to ongoing relationships, 

despite their ups and downs. While adoptive 

family and birth family relationships 

may seem awkward at first, over time the 

involved individuals typically become more 

comfortable. Some people compare the 

experience to working out other extended 

family relationships, such as relationships 

with new in-laws or with a child’s stepfamily 

following a divorce and remarriage. While 

some adoptive and birth families arrange 

openness informally, others will develop 

more formal agreements. When challenges 

arise, some families use mediation or other 

support for help.

Setting Common Expectations With 

Postadoption Contact Agreements 

Postadoption contact agreements, 

sometimes called open adoption 

agreements, are formal arrangements 

between a child’s adoptive family and 

members of the child’s birth family (or 

other persons with whom the child has 

an established relationship, such as a 

foster parent). These agreements, typically 

signed prior to finalization of an adoption, 

describe how (letters, emails, visits, etc.) and 
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how often communication will take place 

following an adoption. 

Postadoption agreements can help 

make sure that everyone has a shared 

understanding of the expectations for 

openness. It is important to know, however, 

that these agreements are not always 

enforceable. About 26 States have laws that 

allow for written and enforceable contact 

agreements. The conditions and rules related 

to establishing and enforcing contracts vary 

across these States.7 In no State can disputes 

over the postadoption agreements be used 

as grounds for terminating an adoption or 

changing adoptive parents’ parental rights.

Strengthening Relationships 

To build healthy relationships between 

adoptive and birth families, adoption 

professionals emphasize the following:

• Stay focused on what is in the best 

interests of the child, which may not 

always be the same as the preferences of 

the birth and adoptive parents.

• Show respect for and acceptance of the 

other family members.

• Set clear boundaries of what is and 

what is not acceptable in terms of contact 

and communication, and respect the 

limits requested by the other parties.

• Maintain open communication 

that reflects a genuine commitment to 

maintaining connection.

• Be flexible and recognize that needs 

may change over time.

7 For more information, see Postadoption Contact Agreements 

between Birth and Adoptive Families, available online at https://

www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_policies/statutes/

cooperative.cfm

Open adoption relationships, like all 

relationships, change and evolve as the 

individuals involved reach different stages 

in their lives. Communication and contact 

may increase or decrease at different times, 

reflecting varying needs, interests, and life 

situations of the children and youth who 

have been adopted, birth parents, and 

adoptive families. For example, adopted 

youth may discover new questions and 

show more interest in spending time with 

birth relatives as teenagers than they did 

when they were younger. Birth parents or 

adoptive parents may have more time to 

spend with each other at certain times and 

less at others (e.g., after birth or adoption 

of another child). Some may move away 

to a different geographic area, and some 

may just need time to themselves. It is 

important that adoptive and birth parents 

let each other know when they need to 

change the frequency or form of contact. 

A sudden, unexpected drop in contact can 

have negative consequences, particularly for 

the adopted child or youth who may not 

understand the surrounding circumstances. 

Adoptive parents may need to help their 

children understand the behavior of their 

birth parents at those times when it is 

disappointing or hurtful.

Addressing Challenges With 

Mediation 

Sometimes families need help with 

establishing relationships, overcoming 

differences on how and when contact 

should occur, or navigating changes in the 

relationships. Mediation—which refers to 

meeting with a neutral third party such as 

an agency or adoption professional—can 

sometimes be helpful. Mediators can help 

develop written agreements before an 
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adoption or aid in sorting out changing 

needs and roles later in the adoption.

Using Social Media 

for Contact With 

Birth Families

Social media, which includes various forms 

of communication conducted via the 

Internet, is dramatically changing the ways 

in which people connect and converse. It 

also is emerging as a significant factor in 

adoption openness. While exact numbers 

are not known, anecdotal evidence suggests 

that increasing numbers of adopted people 

and their birth families are finding each 

other through social networking sites, such 

as Facebook. In adoptions that are already 

open, social media is creating new questions 

for adoptive and birth parents. For example, 

adoptive parents may wonder if they should 

“friend” their child’s adoptive birth parent 

on Facebook or other social networks. Will 

they be comfortable if their child’s birth 

mother reads their blogs with stories of the 

adoption journey? 

Using Social Media in Search and 

Reunion

Among the benefits of using social 

networking sites and other forms of social 

media as an aid in search and reunion 

efforts is that they can connect adopted 

people and members of their birth family 

fairly quickly, free of charge, and without 

the need for an intermediary. These same 

benefits, however, also have downsides. 

For example, connections are being made 

between adopted people and their birth 

families without the benefit of important 

support systems. Also, online contact may 

occur with a preteen or child before the 

young person is developmentally ready. 

Sometimes adoptive parents find out about 

connections after the fact, and they may 

become upset or angry. If the adoption has 

been closed, adoptive parents may be fearful 

that their child is in contact with another 

adult they do not know. 

Adoption professionals strongly recommend 

emotional preparation before search and 

reunion. These events can be enormously 

emotional and may tap into strong feelings 

of separation and loss. Preparation will 

help adopted children and youth, and their 

families, to think through their expectations 

and prepare for a range of potential 

reactions, including rejection. In addition, 

professionals encourage birth relatives to 

gradually make contacts and get to know 

each other slowly.8 While instant messages 

and swift replies are commonplace in social 

media, they are often not the best route for 

early communication with a birth relative, 

which instead benefits from slow and 

carefully considered responses.

With many youth commonly spending 

unsupervised time on the Internet, contacts 

between an adopted youth and his or her 

birth family members are sometimes taking 

place without the consent, or knowledge, 

of the adoptive parents. Teens may worry 

that their adoptive parents will feel betrayed 

by their search or will not understand their 

need to find out more about where they 

come from. It is important that adoptive 

parents prepare for the potential of social 

8 For more information, see Child Welfare Information 

Gateway’s Searching for Birth Relatives, available at 

https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_search.cfm
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media connections by talking with their 

children about their adoption and providing 

guidance on the use of social media. The 

box below offers some tips.9

• Talk with your child about adoption and 

birth family connections and answer his 

or her questions. 

• Present options for learning more 

about birth relatives, when the child is 

interested, and emphasize the benefits of 

preparation and support. 

• Discuss the benefits and risks of Facebook 

and other social networking sites, and 

provide guidance for safe use.

• Establish Internet rules at an early age 

(such as not giving out identifying 

information, including a birth date, 

address, or phone number).

• Prepare your child for the possibility that 

a birth family member could contact him 

or her through social media, and discuss 

possible responses.

• Set privacy controls.

• Monitor your child’s Internet and 

social networking use (join the same 

social media networks as your child, 

become your child’s online “friend,” and 

request passwords for their social media 

accounts).

ADOPTED YOUTH AND SOCIAL 

MEDIA: TIPS FOR ADOPTIVE PARENTS

If adoptive parents discover that contact 

between their child and a birth relative has 

9 For additional information, see Adoption Star. (2012). 

Adoption and Social Media. The Effects of Social Media 

and the Internet on Child Adoption, available at http://www.

adoptionstar.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Social-Mediaand-Adoption-Adoption-STAR.pdf

already been made via social media, they 

should become involved in the relationship 

and set boundaries, as needed. One strategy 

is for adults to align—to reach out parent to 

parent—and make decisions together about 

future contact. 

Using Social Media to Communicate 

in an Open Relationship

Within established relationships, social 

media offers easily accessible avenues for 

sharing information. As a result, birth 

parents can receive real-time updates on 

their child, while youth can find out more 

about their family connections. Online 

forums can help individuals stay connected 

even at remote distances.

Adoptive families are advised, however, 

to proceed cautiously when using social 

media for communicating in open or 

semi-open adoption relationships. It is 

important, particularly in new relationships, 

to share information slowly and build 

trust over time. Parents should consider 

their comfort levels for opening access to 

the information on their profiles, walls, 

and posts. Online comments can be easily 

misunderstood. What might be appropriate 

for close friends or neighbors might be 

misunderstood by birth family members at 

a distance. In particular, comments related 

to the adoption process or parenting may 

be misinterpreted or could potentially 

make birth family members uncomfortable. 

Similarly, some information on a birth 

relative’s site may be uncomfortable for an 

adoptive family or adopted child to read. In 

addition, some parents feel uneasy seeing 

their child’s picture posted.
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https://www.childwelfare.gov

To set the groundwork for using social 

media to communicate, adoptive and birth 

parents should: 

• Talk with each other about their comfort 

levels in sharing information and photos 

via social media.

• Decide which social media tools 

are appropriate for communication 

(Facebook, Twitter, email, etc.) and with 

what privacy settings. 

• Set boundaries upfront (for example, not 

commenting on one another’s walls, if 

that is important).

• Before posting anything, think carefully 

about how it may be received by all who 

might see it.

TIPS FOR USING SOCIAL 

MEDIA FOR COMMUNICATION 

IN OPEN RELATIONSHIPS

Some adoptive and birth parents find it 

useful to create separate Facebook pages or 

private password-protected websites or blogs 

for contact between adoptive and birth 

families. This takes the relationship out of 

the public arena and allows for controlled 

access to information and photos. Others 

enjoy openly sharing information on 

established networks. Regardless of the 

forums selected, parents should use the 

same care in online communication as they 

would in face-to-face contact to make sure 

that it is appropriate and respectful to all 

potential viewers.

Using Social Media to Communicate 

in Intercountry Adoption 

With its ability to bridge great distances, 

social media is being used increasingly to 

connect birth families, adoptive families, 

and their children who have been adopted 

through intercountry adoption. These 

include children adopted into the Unites 

States from foreign countries as well as U.S. 

children and youth who have been adopted 

by families in other countries. Outgoing 

adoption often involves open relationships. 

Individuals using social media for 

international contact may face additional 

challenges, including cultural differences 

and varying perspectives of adoption.

Openness in adoption can provide a child 

or youth with valuable connections to his 

or her past. No single open arrangement, 

however, is right for everyone. As with 

any relationship, there may be bumps 

and challenges along the way in the 

relationships between birth and adoptive 

families. Moreover, these relationships 

are likely to evolve and change over time. 

Through careful consideration of options, a 

clear child-focused approach, and a strong 

commitment to making it work, you can 

decide what level of openness is right for 

your family.

Conclusion
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Resources for More 

Information

Adoptive Families Magazine 

http://www.adoptivefamilies.com/

openadoption.php

American Adoption Congress 

http://www.americanadoptioncongress.

org/open_adoption.php

Child Welfare Information Gateway 

https://www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/

adoptive/openness.cfm

https://www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/

birth/for/connections.cfm

Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute 

http://www.adoptioninstitute.org/

publications/#openadoption

Insight: Open Adoption Resources and 

Support 

http://www.openadoptioninsight.org

Minnesota/Texas Adoption Research Project 

(MTARP) 

http://www.psych.umass.edu/adoption/

Open Adoption Bloggers 

http://www.productionnotreproduction.

com/p/open-adoption-blogs.html

Suggested Citation: 

Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2013). 

Openness in adoption: Building relationships 

between adoptive and birth families. 

Washington, DC: U.S. Department of 

Health and Human Services, Children’s 

Bureau.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Administration for Children and Families

Administration on Children, Youth and Families

Children’s Bureau