What is Open Adoption?

Imagine never knowing who your parents are, what they look like, or why an adoption plan was made. Imagine wondering whether you have siblings, or whether the people who brought you into the world are thinking about you, too.

For many adoptees, these questions don’t fade with time. They stay. In our newest resource, the Wisconsin Family Connections Center (WIFCC) explains how open adoption offers a different path.

Open adoption is an agreement between birth parents and an adoptive family to stay connected in some way after the adoption is finalized. What that looks like is different for every family: phone calls, emails, photo updates, or ongoing visits and contact.

These agreements, often called Post-Adoption Contact Agreements, aren’t legally enforceable in Wisconsin. Even so, the evidence shows that staying connected benefits everyone in the adoption story, especially the child.

Why connection matters for kids

Open adoption can’t erase the loss that comes with adoption, but it can ease it. When children grow up knowing their story, they often gain:

A stronger sense of identity. They know where they come from, and their story has no missing chapters.
Access to medical and genetic history. Answers to questions about health are only a conversation away.
A wider circle of support. More people who know them, love them, and are rooting for them.

When the road isn’t smooth

Open relationships take care, honesty, and ongoing communication, and they can be complicated. Feelings shift over time, and sometimes limiting contact is necessary.

That doesn’t mean openness isn’t worth it. It means families do best when they talk about expectations early and keep the conversation going as everyone’s needs change.

Learn more

What Is Open Adoption? walks through what connection can look like, the difference it makes for kids as they grow, and how families navigate it together. It includes a downloadable handout you can print or share.

Every child deserves the truth about their own story. We hope this resource helps your family find the right path there.