Impact of Adoption on Birth Parents: Conclusion and Additional Resources

This information was taken directly from Child Welfare Information Gateway

Conclusion and Additional Resources

Although the decision to place a child for adoption can be a painful process and affect many aspects of a birth parent’s life, many birth parents are able to reconcile the loss and make peace with the decision. Recent shifts away from secrecy and toward openness in adoption are not a panacea for the grief, loss, or other negative experiences a birth parent may have, but research indicates that openness can be beneficial to birth parents, as well as people who were adopted. Additionally, the ever-increasing availability of information and supports for birth parents, particularly on the Internet, provides a way for parents make a more informed decision, find assistance as they move through the process, and discover other parents who have had similar experiences.

Child Welfare Information Gateway. This service of the Children’s Bureau provides information and publications about a wide range of adoption topics. It also provides adoption statutes for each State.

Impact of Adoption on Adopted Persons (https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_adimpact.cfm)

Searching for Birth Relatives (https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_search.cfm)

Searching for Birth Relatives (list of organizations) (https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/reslist/rl_dsp.cfm?svcID=132&rate_chno=AR-0031A)

Are You Pregnant and Thinking About Adoption? (https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_pregna/index.cfm)

Openness in Adoption: Building Relationships Between Adoptive and Birth Families (https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_openadopt.cfm)

Working With Birth and Adoptive Families to Support Open Adoption (https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_openadoptbulletin.cfm)

Laws Related to Adoption (https://www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/laws/)

State Statutes Search (https://www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_policies/state/)

National Foster Care & Adoption Directory Search (https://www.childwelfare.gov/nfcad/)

America Adopts: Birth Mother Blogs. This website helps connect prospective birth and adoptive parents and also includes a series of blogs by birth mothers. http://www.americaadopts.com/birth-mother-blogs/

Concerned United Birthparents (CUB). This is a national organization focused on birth parents. http://www.cubirthparents.org

Donaldson Adoption Institute. The Adoption Institute provides information about a wide array of adoption issues. http://www.adoptioninstitute.org

IChooseAdoption.org. This website, which was developed by the National Council for Adoption, provides adoption stories and resources for birth parents, adopted parents, and adopted persons. http://ichooseadoption.org/

Insight: Open Adoption Resources and Support. The Insight website offers resources for professionals, adoptive parents, and birth parents considering open adoption. http://www.openadoptioninsight.org

Minnesota/Texas Adoption Research Project. This website provides information on a longitudinal study of openness in adoption. http://www.psych.umass.edu/adoption

National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections. This service of the Children’s Bureau provides training, technical assistance, and information services regarding a variety of permanency issues, including the topic of birth family support and education. http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/socwork/nrcfcpp/info_services/birth-family-issues.html

Open Adoption Bloggers. This website lists more than 300 blogs about open adoption, including those by birth parents, adoptive parents, and individuals who were adopted. http://openadoptionbloggers.com

Resource

Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2013). Impact of adoption on birth parents. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau.

References

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