The following

outline Outline or outlining may refer to: * Outline (list), a document summary, in hierarchical list format * Code folding, a method of hiding or collapsing code or text to see content in outline form * Outline drawing, a sketch depicting the outer edge ...

is provided as an overview of and topical guide to adoption:

Adoption Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, from ...

– process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents. Adopters assume parenting responsibilities by a legal process.

Types of adoptions

Adoption fraud Adoption fraud, also known as illegal adoption, can be defined as when a person or institute attempts to either illegally adopt a child or illegally give up a child for adoption. Common ways in which this can be done include dishonesty and bribes. ...

– illegally adopting a child, typically with forged paperwork. *

Adult adoption Adult adoption is a form of adoption between two or more adults in order to transfer inheritance rights and/or filiation. Adult adoption may be done for various reasons including: to establish intestate inheritance rights; to formalize a step- ...

* Child-buying – the counterpart of

child-selling Child-selling is the practice of selling children, usually by parents, legal guardians, or subsequent custodians, including adoption agencies, orphanages and Mother and Baby Homes. Where the subsequent relationship with the child is essentiall ...

. * Child laundering (illegal) – illegal acquisition of children through monetary transactions, deceit, and/or force. *

Closed adoption Closed adoption (also called "confidential" adoption and sometimes "secret" adoption) is a process by which an infant is adopted by another family, and the record of the biological parent(s) is kept sealed. Often, the biological father is not re ...

– process by where an infant is adopted by another family, and the record of the biological parent(s) is kept sealed. *

Embryo adoption Embryo donation is one mwod:disposition, disposition option for users of in vitro fertilisation with remaining fresh or frozen embryos. It is defined as the giving—generally without compensation—of embryos remaining after in vitro fertilization ...

– third-party reproduction, where a fertilized egg is implanted. The embryo is adopted instead of a child. * Interracial adoption *

International adoption International adoption (also referred to as intercountry adoption or transnational adoption) is a type of adoption in which an individual or couple residing in one country becomes the legal and permanent parent(s) of a child who is a national of ...

– International adoption (also referred to as intercountry adoption or transnational adoption) is a type of adoption in which an individual or couple becomes the legal and permanent parents of a child that is a national of a different country. * Interracial adoption – Interracial adoption (also referred to as transracial adoption) refers to the act of placing a child of one racial or ethnic group with adoptive parents of another racial or ethnic group. * LGBT adoption – LGBT adoption is the adoption of children by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons. **

Same-sex adoption in the United Kingdom Same-sex couples in the United Kingdom (not including Scotland) have had the right to adopt since 2002, following the Adoption and Children Act 2002. Legalisation In the Adoption and Children Act 2002, Parliament provided that an application to ...

* Open adoption – Open adoption is an adoption in which the biological mother or parents and adoptive family know the identity of each other.

Adoption administration

Adoption disclosure Adoption disclosure refers to the official release of information relating to the legal adoption of a child. Throughout much of the 20th century, many Western countries had legislation intended to prevent adoptees and adoptive families from knowin ...

– Adoption disclosure refers to the official release of information relating to the legal adoption of a child. *

Adoption home study A home study or homestudy is a screening of the home and life of prospective adoptive parents prior to allowing an adoption to take place. In some places, and in all international adoptions, a home study is required by law. Even where it is not le ...

– A home study or homestudy is a screening of the home and life of prospective adoptive parents prior to allowing an adoption to take place. *

Adoption reunion registry An adoption reunion registry is a formal mechanism where adoptees and their birth family members can be reunited. Registries may be free or charge fees, be facilitated by non-profit organizations, government agencies or private businesses. General ...

– An adoption reunion registry is a formal mechanism where adoptees and their birth family members can be reunited. * Adoption disruption – Disruption is the term most commonly used for ending an adoption. * Sealed birth records – Sealed birth records, as opposed to open records, refers to the practice of sealing the original birth certificate of an infant upon adoption.

History of adoption

Adoption in ancient Rome Adoption in ancient Rome was practiced and performed by the upper classes; a large number of adoptions were performed by the Senatorial class. Succession and family legacy were very important; therefore, Romans needed ways of passing down their fo ...

– In ancient Rome, adoption of boys was a fairly common procedure, particularly in the upper senatorial class. *

Baby Scoop Era The Baby Scoop Era was a period in anglosphere history starting after the end of World War II and ending in the early 1970s, characterized by an increasing rate of pre-marital pregnancies over the preceding period, along with a higher rate of newb ...

– period after World War II in which more pregnancies occurred out of wedlock, accompanied by more babies being put up for adoption. * Fosterage – Fosterage, the practice of a family bringing up a child not their own, differs from adoption in that the child's parents, not the foster-parents, remain the acknowledged parents. *

Forced adoption in Australia Forced adoption in Australia was the practice of taking babies from unmarried mothers, against their will, and placing them for adoption. In 2012 the Australian Senate Inquiry Report into Forced Adoption Practices found that babies were taken illeg ...

– babies were taken from unwed mothers against their will and put up for adoption. A formal open apology was made on behalf of the government to all the victims by Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard in 2013. *

Home Children Home Children was the child migration scheme founded by Annie MacPherson in 1869, under which more than 100,000 children were sent from the United Kingdom to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa. The programme was largely discontinu ...

– Home Children is a common term used to refer to the child migration scheme founded by Annie MacPherson in 1869, under which more than 100,000 children were sent to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa from the United Kingdom. * List of international adoption scandals

Law of adoption

Adoption law Adoption law is the generic area of legal theory, policy making, legal practice and legal studies relating to law on adoption. National adoption laws National, or domestic, adoption laws deal with issues such as step-parent adoption, adoption by c ...

Access to Adoption Records Act The ''Access to Adoption Records Act'' (known before passage as Bill 12) is an Ontario (Canada) law passed in 2008 regarding the disclosure of information between parties involved in adoptions. It is the successor to the 2005 '' Adoption Inform ...

– The Access to Adoption Records Act (known before passage as Bill 12), is an Ontario (Canada) law passed in 2008 regarding the disclosure of information between parties involved in adoptions. *

Adoption Information Disclosure Act The ''Adoption Information Disclosure Act'', formally ''An Act respecting the disclosure of information and records to adopted persons and birth parents'', also known as Bill 183, is an Ontario (Canada) law regarding the disclosure of information ...

– The Adoption Information Disclosure Act, formally An Act respecting the disclosure of information and records to adopted persons and birth parents, also known as Bill 183, is an Ontario (Canada) law regarding the disclosure of information between parties involved in adoptions. * Adoption and Safe Families Act – The Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA, Public Law 105–89) was signed into law by President Bill Clinton on November 19, 1997, after having been approved by the United States Congress earlier in the month. *

Christian law of adoption in India Christian Personal Law or family law regulates Adoption, Divorce, Guardianship, Marriage and Succession in India. The provisions of canon law concerning marriage are recognised as the personal law of Catholics in India (except in the state of ...

– Christians in India can adopt children by resort to section 41 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2006 read with the Guidelines and Rules issued by various State Governments. *

Foster Care Independence Act The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 () aims to assist youth aging out of foster care in the United States in obtaining and maintaining independent living skills. Youth aging out of foster care, or transitioning out of the formal foster care sy ...

– The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 (Pub.L. 106–169, 113 Stat. 1882, enacted December 14, 1999) aims to assist youth aging out of foster care in obtaining and maintaining independent living skills. * Hague Adoption Convention – The Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (or Hague Adoption Convention) is an international convention dealing with international adoption, child laundering, and child trafficking. *

Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act (1956) The Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act (HAMA) was enacted in India in 1956 as part of the Hindu Code Bills. The other legislations enacted during this time include the Hindu Marriage Act (1955), the Hindu Succession Act (1956), and the Hindu Mi ...

– The Adoptions and Maintenance Act of 1956 dealt specifically with the legal process of adopting children by a Hindu adult, as well as the legal obligations of a Hindu to provide "maintenance" to various family members including, but not limited to, their wife or wives, parents, and in-laws. *

Islamic adoptional jurisprudence Islamic views on adoption are generally distinct from practices and customs of adoption in other non-Muslim parts of the world like Western or East Asian societies. The adoption in the western sense of the word is not recognized in Islam. Descr ...

– While raising a child who is not one's genetic child is allowed and, in the case of an orphan, even encouraged, the child does not become a child of the "adoptive" parents. It is forbidden by Islamic law to adopt a child (in the common sense of the word). Instead, children retain membership to their original family. this is called in Arabic: kafala. *

Uniform Adoption Act The Uniform Adoption Act (1994) is a model law (uniform act) proposed by the U.S. Uniform Law Commission. It attempts to "be a comprehensive and uniform state adoption code that: #is consistent with relevant federal constitutional and statutory l ...

– The Uniform Adoption Act (1994) is a model law (Uniform Act) proposed by the U.S. Uniform Law Commission. It attempts to "be a comprehensive and uniform state adoption code.

Adoption laws, by country

Adoption in Australia Adoption in Australia deals with the adoption process in the various parts of Australia, whereby a person assumes or acquires the permanent, legal status of parenthood in relation to a child under the age of 18 in place of the child's birth or b ...

– Australia allows local adoptions (placement within the country), known child adoptions (adoption by relatives, stepparents or carers), and intercountry adoptions (adoption of children born overseas). * Adoption in France – Adoption in France is codified in the French Civil Code in two distinct forms: simple adoption and plenary adoption. * Adoption in Guatemala – From 1996 to 2007, Guatemala was one of the major providers for children for international adoption, peaking at 5,577 children adopted in 2007. Since reforms in 2007–8, aimed at combating extensive corruption in the adoption process, the numbers have fallen drastically. * Adoption in Italy – As in most jurisdictions, prospective adoptive parents are required to undergo assessment and must show that they will make suitable parents. Italian law requires adopters to be married (or living together) for at least 3 years. * Adoption in Scotland * Adoption in the United States – There are both private and public adoption agencies. Private adoption agencies often focus on infant adoptions, while public adoption agencies typically help find homes for waiting children, many of them presently in foster care and in need of a permanent loving home. ** Adoption in California ** Adoption in Connecticut

Adoption and culture

* Adoption by celebrities *

Cultural variations in adoption There are several notable cultural variations in adoption. Adoption is an arrangement by which an orphaned child or one whose biological parents are unable to care for them is "adopted". While all societies make provision for the rearing of childre ...

– adoption is a specific legal arrangement within the many kinds of wardship or guardianship or fostering practiced worldwide. While all societies make provision for the rearing of children whose own parents are unavailable to rear them, not all cultures use adoption. *

– An adoption reunion registry is a formal mechanism where adoptees and their birth family members can be reunited. *

National Adoption Day On National Adoption Day courts and communities in the United States come together to finalize thousands of adoption of children from foster care. More than 300 events are held each year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving in November, in all 50 ...

– it is traditional in the U.S. to finalize adoptions on this day. Ceremonies are held around the country in every state of the Union. *

Snowflake children Snowflake children is a term used by organizations that promote the adoption of frozen embryos left over from in vitro fertilization (IVF) to describe children that result. The embryos are donated by families who have cryopreserved embryos remaini ...

Politics of adoption

Adoption tax credit An adoption tax credit is a tax credit offered to adoptive parents to encourage adoption in the United States. Section 36C of the United States Internal Revenue code offers a credit for “qualified adoption expenses” paid or incurred by indiv ...

– An adoption tax credit is tax credit offered to adoptive parents to encourage adoption. * Language of adoption – The language of adoption is changing and evolving, and since the 1970s has been a controversial issue tied closely to adoption reform efforts.

Sociology of adoption

* Adopted child syndrome – Adopted child syndrome is a controversial term that has been used to explain behaviors in adopted children that are claimed to be related to their adoptive status. Specifically, these include problems in bonding, attachment disorders, lying, stealing, defiance of authority, and acts of violence. * Effects of adoption on the birth mother *

Genealogical bewilderment Genealogical bewilderment is a term referring to potential identity problems that could be experienced by a child who was either fostered, adopted, or conceived via an assisted reproductive technology procedure such as surrogacy or gamete donati ...

– term referring to potential identity problems that could be experienced by a child who was either fostered, adopted, or conceived via an assisted reproductive technology procedure such as surrogacy or gamete donation (egg or sperm donation).

Adoption-related organizations

* Adoption Covenant * Adoption-Friendly Workplace *

American Adoption Congress The American Adoption Congress (AAC) was created in the late 1970s as an umbrella organization by the search and support, adoption reform groups sprouting up across the United States, Canada and around the world. Initiated by Orphan Voyage founder ...

Bastard Nation Bastard Nation is a North American adult adoptee political advocacy and support organization. It was founded in 1996 by denizens of the Usenet newsgroup alt.adoption Shea Grimm, Damsel Plum, Marley Greiner and Lainie Petersen. The original intent ...

* Boys & Girls Aid *

Canadian Council of Natural Mothers The Canadian Council of Natural Mothers (CCNM) is a Canadian lobby group for the rights of women who have placed children for adoption, founded in 1999. It is opposed to most continuing adoption practices, arguing that adoption is traumatic for m ...

* Catalyst for Social Action * Center for Adoption Policy *

Children's Aid Society (Ontario) Children's Aid Societies (CAS) in Ontario, Canada, are separate, independent organizations which have each been approved by the Ontario government's Ministry of Children and Youth Services to provide child protection services. The declared goal ...

* China Center of Adoption Affairs *

Concerned United Birthparents Concerned United Birthparents, Inc. (CUB), a non-profit organization established in 1976, is one of two primary nationwide organizations offering support to the biological parents of adopted people in the United States. The organization is credited ...

Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) is an American non-partisan, non-profit organization "dedicated to raising awareness about the millions of children around the world in need of permanent, safe, and loving families and to el ...

Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a nonprofit public charity dedicated to finding permanent homes for children waiting in foster care in the United States and Canada. Created in 1992 by Wendy's founder Dave Thomas, who was adopted, the Fo ...

Family Services Child and family services is a government or non-profit organisation designed to better the well being of individuals who come from unfortunate situations, ''environmental'' or ''biological''. People who seek or are sought after to participate in ...

* Friends for All Children * Gladney Center for Adoption *

Global Overseas Adoptees' Link Global Overseas Adoptees' Link (G.O.A.'L) is an organization in Seoul, South Korea, for adoptees. History The first major task of GOAL was to lobby for the inclusion of adoptees in the Overseas Koreans Act. This act was passed in 1999 and allowed ...

* Great Wall China Adoption *

Holt International Children's Services Holt International Children's Services (HICS) is a faith-based humanitarian organization and adoption agency based in Eugene, Oregon, United States, known for international adoption and child welfare. The nonprofit works in thirteen countries, ...

Hope and Homes for Children Hope and Homes for Children (HHC) is a British registered charity operating and working with children, their families and communities in several countries in Central and Eastern Europe and Africa, to help children grow up in safe and productiv ...

Joint Council on International Children's Services Joint Council on International Children's Services, founded in 1976, was a nonprofit child advocacy organization based in Alexandria, Virginia. The organization "work dto end the suffering of children who live every day without the protection an ...

* Maine Children's Home for Little Wanderers * National Florence Crittenton Mission * Nightlight Christian Adoptions * Origins Canada * Protestant Home for Babies * Raise A Child Inc. * South Carolina Heart Gallery * The Adolescent and Children's Trust * Vietnam Friendship Village *

Zoé's Ark Zoé's Ark (french: link=no, L'Arche de Zoé) is a French charity organization with the aim of increasing awareness of the crisis in Darfur and providing aid for children affected by the conflict. The organization was brought into the public's aw ...

Adoption-related publications

* ''

Adoption & Fostering ''Adoption & Fostering'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering research on adoption and foster care. It was established in 1977 and is published by SAGE Publications SAGE Publishing, formerly SAGE Publications, is an America ...

References

External links

{{Outline footer