Adoption Terms

Adoptee	A person that is adopted
Adoption	A legal process that transfers parent(s) rights and responsibilities from birth parents to adopted parents
Adopted Parent	A person who legally assumes parental rights and responsibilities for a person
Adoption Decree:	The legal document filed upon finalization of an adoption that makes the child the legal child of the adopted parents. The decree may also set forth a new name
Agency Adoption:	An adoption handled and coordinated by a licensed public or private adoption agency
Birth Certificate:	Original - issued at birth, records information including the identify of the birth parent(s) and the name given to the individual whose birth is recorded
Amended Certificate	issued upon finalization of adoption, records information including the identity of the adoptive parent(s) whose name(s) now replace that of the birth parent(s) on the certificate. It also sets forth the new name (if changed) of the individual whose birth the certificate represents. This becomes the legal birth certificate, and the original is sealed.
Amended	issued upon finalization of adoption, records information including the identity of the adoptive parents) whose name(s) now replace that of the birth parent(s) on the certificate. It also sets forth the new name (if changed) of the individual whose birth the certificate represents. This becomes the legal birth certificate, and the original is sealed.
BIRTH MOTHER/BIRTH FATHER	The individuals who helped conceive and/or gave birth to a child and who subsequently relinquished custody of the child and legal parental rights, or whose rights were legally severed.
BLACK MARKET ADOPTION	An illegal practice in which a child is transferred from a birth family to an adoptive family. Records may be falsified. and usually large sums of money are involved.
CONTACT	Communication at the end of a search. It may be through an intermediary or direct, and may involve written information, telephonic communication, or face to face contact.
COURT OF JURISDICTION	The court having power to preside over a certain category of individuals or allegations. Typically this court maintains control over court related documents
DSS	Department of Social Services - (South Carolina)
INDEPENDENT ADOPTION	Any adoption where the primary agent is an attorney, rather than an agency. It also includes adoptions where birth parents relinquish directly to the adoptive parents
INTERMEDIARY	One who conducts a search and/or makes contact on behalf of an adoptee, adoptive parent or birth parent in a search. An intermediary is often used to protect privacy. Some states have court appointed or certified intermediaries.
INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION:	Commonly referred to as foreign adoption in the past, international adoption is the preferred term. It references adoptions where a citizen of one country is placed for adoption in another country
OPEN ADOPTION	An adoption in which all parties have awareness of the identity of the other parties, and may maintain varying degrees of contact.
OPEN PLACEMENT	A practice whereby some identifying information is exchanged and a face to face meeting between birth and adoptive parents takes place at the time of placement.
OPEN RECORDS	Unrestricted access by all triad members to adoption-related information contained in the adoption file.
REUNION REGISTRY	A passive search system in which triad members may be matched and/or reunited with other registered members of the triad.
RELINQUISHMENT	Sometimes referred to as surrender, it is a legal process whereby the child is released by the birth family, freeing the child for adoption.
SEVERANCE	A legal process whereby parental rights are dissolved by the court of jurisdiction.
TRIAD/TRIAD MEMBERS	The three categories of individuals who are directly involved in an adoption including the birth parents, the adoptee, and the adoptive parents.