A person who joins a family via adoption.

An organization that is licensed to prepare families to adopt children and to do all the necessary legal, administrative and social work to insure that adoptions are efficiently handled and are in the [..]

A licensed agency or individual who is State certified to assist birth parents and adoptive parents with the placement of a child in an Independent Adoption.

A person or persons who become the permanent parents with all the social, legal rights and responsibilities incumbent upon any parent.

Adoption that is facilitated by a State Licensed Agency that provides counseling to birthparents, home studies to prospective adoptive parents, relinquishment services and post-placement programs for [..]

The parents who gave birth to a child, made an adoption plan for the child and subsequently relinquished the child for adoption.

An adoption where there is no contact between birth parents and adoptive parents. Also called traditional adoption.

Legal process through which a birth parent voluntarily agrees to make an adoption plan for their child with a specific family through an Independent Adoption.

An abbreviation of Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption

A process whereby an individual or couple undergo a study by a licensed public or private agency to assure the well-being of the child in the home and the readiness of the family to adopt.