STATE STATUTES Current Through August 2018 WHAT’S INSIDE Postadoption Contact States with enforceable Agreements Between Birth contact agreements Who may be a party to and Adoptive Families an agreement? Postadoption contact agreements are The court’s role in arrangements that allow contact or establishing and enforcing agreements communication between a child, his or her adoptive family, and members of the child’s When do States use birth family or other persons with whom the mediation? child has an established relationship, such as a foster parent, after the child’s adoption has Laws in States without been finalized. These arrangements, sometimes enforceable agreements referred to as cooperative adoption or open Summaries of State laws adoption agreements, can range from informal, mutual understandings between the birth and adoptive families to written, formal contracts. To find statute information for a particular State, go to https://www.childwelfare. gov/topics/systemwide/ laws-policies/state/. Children’s Bureau/ACYF/ACF/HHS 800.394.3366 | Email:
[email protected] | https://www.childwelfare.gov Postadoption Contact Agreements Between Birth and Adoptive Families https://www.childwelfare.gov Agreements for postadoption contact or communication for contact after the finalization of an adoption.2 The have become more prevalent in recent years due to written agreements specify the type and frequency of several factors: contact and are signed by the parties to an adoption prior to finalization.3 There is wider recognition of the rights of birth parents to make choices for their children. Contact can range from the adoptive and birth parents Many adopted children, especially older children, exchanging information about a child (e.g., cards, letters, such as stepchildren and children adopted from foster and photos via traditional or social media) to the child care, have attachments to one or more birth relatives exchanging information or having visits with the birth with whom ongoing contact may be desirable and parents or relatives.