What is Open Adoption?
In an open adoption, birth and adoptive parents meet, select each other, and work cooperatively toward the placement of a child. They plan a relationship that is ongoing, active, and involves varying degrees of direct contact, all of which are based interest of the child.


What are some of the ways that open adoption can benefit children?
Children of open adoption benefit by having access to their genetic and adoption history on a continuing basis. They have opportunities to have their questions about their birth- family answered. Open adoption strengthens a child’s feeling that adoption is a normal process.  It dispels myths and fears about the birthparents with the reality of who they are. 


Will openness confuse the child?  Or will it affect the ability of my child to bond with me?
Open adoption is not co-parenting. It involves a relationship between birthparents and adoptive parents built on mutual respect, trust and an understanding of appropriate boundaries. 

What kind of contact (i.e. how many visits a year) are birth families typically requesting?
There is no one way of doing an open adoption. The type and amount of contact is decided between the birth and adoptive parents. In the past, birth and adoptive parents have chosen to exchange letters, pictures, and/or meetings. 


How will it take to have an infant placed in my home?
The adoption study usually can be completed in about four months from the time you submit an application. The length of time an individual family waits before making an adoption plan with birth parents varies greatly. Some family received placement within a year and other may wait 3 or more years. It also depends on if the child you are willing to parent is a part of our program. 


Should we worry about not being selected by birthparents? 
We are fully committed to finding permanency for the infants in our program.  Selection of an adoptive family is made by the birthparents and often depends on an adoptive family’s openness to ethnicity, gender, and special concerns issues.


What does legal risk placement mean?
A legal risk placement occurs when a child joins an adoptive family's home before the consents are legal and binding. In Minnesota, birthparents cannot sign voluntary consents prior to 72 hours after the child’s birth. Once consents are signed, birthparents have 10 working days in which they can change their minds. Consents become legal and binding at 5 p.m. on the 10th day.  


Can birth parents change their minds and have the child returned to them?
In most cases, a child is placed in the home of the adoptive parents before legal termination of the birthparents’ rights. This is considered a legal-risk placement. The birthparents can change their minds and ask that the child be returned to them during this period. Once legal termination of the birthparents’ has been completed, their decision becomes legal and binding.

How often are birthfathers involved?
Birthfathers are currently involved in about 40 percent of the adoptions through our program. Even when a birthfather is unable or unwilling to be involved in planning for their child, we gather as much medical and social history as we can on behalf of the child.