Any adoption gives adoptive parent(s) all the rights and responsibilities of a legal parent, and gives the adopted child legal status as a family member. A domestic newborn adoption occurs when adoptive parents are matched with an expectant mother in the United States, and that child is placed with the adoptive parents at or very close to the time the child is born.
In a private, or independent adoption, no agency is involved in the adoption. Instead, an intermediary such as an attorney is involved to facilitate the process and to take care of the court paperwork.
California allows for independent adoptions, though it is regulated quite heavily. Today, many adoptions in California are commonly referred to as “open adoptions”.
An “open adoption” is an independent adoption in which the adoptive parents and birthparents have contact during the gestation period and the new parents agree to maintain some contact with the birthparents after the adoption, through letters, photos, or in-person visits. A legal contract, commonly referred to as a “post-placement contract”, is typically drafted that outlines the terms and level of contact that all parties feel comfortable with.
A closed adoption, meanwhile, does not provide for meetings or for post-placement contact.
