| Adoptee |
A person that is adopted |
| Adoption |
A legal process that transfers parents rights
and responsibilities from birth parents to adopted parents |
| Adopted Parent |
A person who legally assumes parenta rights and
responsibilities for a person |
| Adoption Decree: |
The legal document filed upon finalization of an
adoption that makes the child the legal child of the dopted parents. The
decree may also set forth a new name |
| Agency Adoption: |
An adoption handled and coordinated by a
licensed public or private adoption agency |
Birth Certificate:
|
Original - issued at birth, records information
including the identify of the birth parent(s) and the name given to the
individual whose birth is recorded |
| Amended Certificate |
issued upon finalization of adoption, records information including the
identity of the adoptive parents) whose name(s) now replace
that of the birth parent(s) on the certificate. It also sets
forth the new name (if changed) of the individual whose birth the
certificate represents. This becomes the legal birth certificate, and the
original is sealed. |
| Amended |
issued upon finalization of adoption, records information including
the identity of the adoptive parents) whose name(s) now replace
that of the birth parent(s) on the certificate. It also sets
forth the new name (if changed) of
the individual whose birth the certificate represents. This becomes the legal birth
certificate, and the original is sealed. |
| BIRTH
MOTHER/BIRTH FATHER |
The
individuals who helped conceive and/or gave birth to a child and who
subsequently relinquished custody of the child and legal parental rights, or whose rights were legally severed. |
| BLACK
MARKET ADOPTION |
An
illegal practice in which a child is transferred from a birth family to an adoptive family. Records
may be
falsified. and usually large sums of money are involved. |
| CONTACT |
Communication at the end of a
search. It may be through an intermediary or direct, and
may involve written information, telephonic communication, or face to face
contact. |
| COURT OF JURISDICTION |
The
court having power to preside over a certain category of
individuals or allegations. Typically this court
maintains control over court related documents |
| INDEPENDENT
ADOPTION |
Any
adoption where the primary agent is an attorney, rather than an
agency. It also includes adoptions where birth parents relinquish directly
to the adoptive parents |
| INTERMEDIARY |
One who conducts a search
and/or makes contact on behalf
of
an adoptee, adoptive parent or birth parent in a search. An
intermediary is often used to protect privacy. Some states
have court appointed or certified intermediaries. |
| INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION: |
Commonly referred to as foreign adoption in the past, international adoption is the preferred
term. It references adoptions where a citizen of one country is
placed for adoption in another country |
| OPEN ADOPTION |
An adoption in which all parties have awareness of the
identity of the other parties, and may maintain
varying degrees of contact. |
| OPEN PLACEMENT |
A practice whereby some identifying information is
exchanged and a face to face meeting between birth and adoptive parents
takes place at the time of placement. |
| OPEN RECORDS |
Unrestricted access by all triad members to
adoption-related information contained in the adoption file. |
| REUNION REGISTRY |
A passive search system in which triad members may be
matched and/or reunited with other registered members of the
triad. |
| RELINQUISHMENT |
Sometimes referred to as surrender, it is a legal process
whereby the child is released by the birth
family, freeing the child for adoption. |
| SEVERANCE |
A legal process whereby
parental rights are dissolved by the court of jurisdiction. |
| TRIAD/TRIAD
MEMBERS |
The three categories of
individuals who are directly involved in an adoption including the birth
parents, the adoptee, and the adoptive parents.
|
