Adoption Glossary: A Birth Mother’s Guide to Adoption Terms and Phrases
By Edward Harding
Placing your baby for adoption can be a confusing and, at times, overwhelming procedure. It’s critical for all parties to understand how adoption processes function in order to avoid future legal issues. However, educating yourself is the first step towards reducing the stress you may experience during this time. We at Adoption Choices of Colorado have prepared a handy list of the most common terminology. Using this guide will not only help you to better navigate through the process but feel secure in your decision.
If you need adoption help now, please call or text us at 303-670-4673 (HOPE) or visit us at Adoption Choices of Colorado.
Common Adoption Agency Phrases
Are you pregnant and considering adoption? These are some of the most common phrases you will encounter when choosing adoption in Colorado.
- Adoption Plan: A customized document detailing the goals and desires of birth parents throughout the adoption process.
- Adoptive Family: The legal mother and father of an adopted child. Adoptive parents share no genetic traits.
- Birth Mother: Identified simply as the biological mother of a child. Birth mothers share genetic makeup with the child.
- Birth Father: The biological father of a child. Birth fathers share genetic makeup with the child.
- Birth Plan: An official document that details your desires during birth. Often birth plans will define specifics regarding child care. For example, you will be able to dictate how many contacts you have with your child before consenting to the adoption.
- Home Study: An examination of a prospective adoptive family. Often home studies report on the family’s financial status, living situation, and marriage. In an open adoption, home studies are curated to the birth parent’s personal requirements in addition to state regulations.
- Post Placement Support: A variety of counseling services are offered by an adoption agency. Post-placement support is offered to birth mothers after a child has been placed under adoption. Adoption Colorado post-placement often includes support groups or one on one therapy.
- Relinquishment: The legally bonding cessation of parental rights voluntarily given up by a child’s birth parents. This is required for the adoption to take place.
- Surrogacy: Another term for adoption. Birth parents agree to relinquish the care of a child to another family who becomes the child’s legal guardian.
Types of Adoption in Colorado
Gaining knowledge of these terms can help you to zero in on what type of plan may be best for you.
- Closed adoption: Birth parents who choose this plan to waive the right to know the adoptive family for their child. The birth mother will also have no further contact with the child after birth or with the adoptive family.
- Domestic Adoption: General classification for adoption by surrogate families or parents.
- Infant adoption: An option that places a child under adoption after birth. Infant adoption only applies to children younger than one year of age.
- Newborn adoption: With this method, birth parents declare intent to place a child under adoption upon birth.
- Open adoption: Choosing this plan gives you the right to know who the adoptive family is for your child. You will have a chance to meet the family in advance of placement. You can also choose to remain in contact after placement. We at Adoption Choices of Colorado specialize in this form of adoption plan.
- Semi-open adoption: Choosing this method allows for limited interactions between the adoptive family and birth parents. Future contact with the child is allowed but is controlled and often regulated by the adoption agency during planning.
Colorado Adoption Laws
Colorado adoption agencies must comply with a variety of rules and regulations in order for the process to be valid under Federal law. Here are some of the most common legal terms and laws that will come up during your adoption planning.
- Adoption Finalization: A court proceeding that transfers legal custody of a child to the adoptive family. Evidence of this proceeding is signified by the adoption certificate, which is awarded to the new adoptive family.
- ICPC: The Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children. This law regulates the transfer of children across state lines and is observed by every state in the U.S. Each state requires specific documentation that must be submitted in order to verify the child will be placed into a secure new home.
- ICWA: Indian Child Welfare Act- Enacted in 1978, this law applies additional regulations to childcare court proceedings involving children from recognized Native American tribes. The law serves to protect from systematic abuses and removal of Native American culture by adoption agencies.
- Interstate Adoption: The transfer and eventual placement of a child in a state outside of its birth.
- The Secure Act: Enacted in 2020, this law allows for penalty-free withdrawals from retirement plans that are used solely to pay for adoption costs. The withdrawal is only covered under the law in amounts of $5,000 or less.
Considering Adoption in Colorado?
If you have any further questions regarding adoption terms not listed, don’t hesitate to ask your adoption specialist for clarification. At Adoption Choices of Colorado, we believe in full transparency and understanding for all parties involved in the adoption process. We want your experience with us to be a positive one. As a result, we will always strive to provide you with the best information possible.
If you are facing an unplanned pregnancy and want to learn more about your adoption options, contact Adoption Choices of Colorado by email, phone, or text: Email Us, Text us: 720-371-1099, Call us: 303-670-4673 (HOPE). If you are hoping to adopt, please contact us here.
Stephanie joined the Adoption Choices family in 2014 as the Child Placement Supervisor. Her love for adoption began in first grade when she made friends with twins adopted from Vietnam. Her heart grew strong over the years for adopted children and ultimately led her to graduate school where she continued her focus to her dream of working in the adoption field. Stephanie earned a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Denver in 2001. Over the past 15 years, Stephanie has worked as a pregnancy counselor and as an adoptive parent counselor for foster care, international adoption and domestic adoption, writing hundreds of home studies for families, and helping build their forever families. Stephanie is married and has three boys ages 12, 9, and 5. Together with her family she enjoys riding bike, playing games, watching her three sons compete in their various sporting and musical activities and go on vacations.
Christy Ikeler, is our Executive Director and Birth Parent Director. Christy has been with Adoption Choices Team for 18 years, since opening the doors in 2002! Christy has a true passion for what she does and her true love is working with and helping each birth parent. Whether she is up all night on the phone talking with them, taking them to doctors appointments, out for their favorite treat, providing counseling or at the hospital during labor and delivery, Christy is very involved every step of the way. She has a contagious laugh and a spunky personality that our birth moms all can bond with and relate to. As an adoptive parent herself, adoption holds a very special place in her heart and she can relate on every level with both birth parents and adoptive parents. In her free time Christy loves spending time with her daughter, gardening, baking and taking vacations with her family. Christy is an excellent leader for our team at Adoption Choices and is truly one of a kind!! As Executive Director, Christy spends time with the staff, birth parents and adoptive families in order to ensure that the agency is running smoothly. She has placed a huge emphasis on community outreach and programs for birth parents. Christy loves the opportunity to lead the agency into a brighter future.
Ms. Mackenzie has built a successful counseling career over the past 20 years, supporting mothers and families, people of all ages and genders, students, community professionals and fellow clinicians. Liv values a diverse professional focus, including the entrepreneurial life of a sole proprietor, the evaluative process of certifying foster/adoptive homes, the insightful and mindful one-on-one one work with enthusiastic clients, and serving as an advocate for underserved populations. Liv is a Licensed Professional Counselor and holds a BA in Pre-Law and Economics from American University, an MA in Counseling from Adams University and a certificate in Human Resource Management from Villanova University. Away from work you will find Liv spending time in nature, biking to the farmer’s market and adventuring with her family.
Catherine A. Madsen, joined the Adoption Choices family as legal counsel in 2013. Catherine is responsible for providing legal guidance to the Agency, training and updating staff on developments in adoption law and legislation, and program development. Catherine
Virginia Frank is an adoption attorney accredited since 1991 with the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys. Ms. Frank is a leader in the field of private adoption and has completed over 4,000 adoptions in her career. Ms. Frank has a law degree from Oklahoma City University and a BA in both Political Science and Communications from the University of Oklahoma.
Cassidie has been with Adoption Choices since 2015, she has her bachelors in Interdisciplinary Affairs with concentrations in both Sociology and Business Management. Cassidie has additional training in Victim Advocacy, foster care and has been working in women’s services for over 10 years. Cassidie has always had a heart for adoption and it was her career dream to work in adoption. She started off doing volunteer work for advocacy programs, adoption organizations and worked in High Risk Maternal Fetal Medicine through the University of Colorado Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Colorado. Cassidie is also blessed to have personally experienced an adoption of her own in 2012, completing her family of five! Cassidie loves what she does as a case worker from initial phone calls, meetings, doctor appointments, interaction with the adoptive families to delivery and counseling. Cassidie has a passion for those in need and strives to help make a difference in the lives of the people she meets. She is a firm believer in being kind, compassionate and open minded in all situations. “Unless you’ve walked in their shoes, there’s no place for judgment. A kind word or compliment can go a long way!” The bittersweet moments in adoption reminds Cassidie each and every time, why she loves what she does!