Adoption Glossary

A

• abandonment
• abuse
• accredited adoption service provider
• adoptee
• adoption
• adoption agency
• Adoption and Safe Families Act(ASFA)
• Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act
• adoption exchange
• adoption-friendly workplaces
• adoption photolisting
• adoption plan
• adoption records
• adoption registry
• adoption search
• adoption subsidy
• adoption tax credit
• adoption triad
• adoptive parent
• amended birth certificate
• attachment

B

• best interests of the child
• biological parent
• birth certificate
  • See original birth certificate
• birth child
• birth parent/family
• bonding

C

• CASA
• child with special needs
  • see special needs children
• closed adoption
• concurrent planning
• confidential intermediary
• confidentiality
• consent to adoption
• court appointed special advocate
• court terminated
  • see termination of parental rights

D

• developmental grieving
• disclosure
• disruption
• dissolution
• dossier

E

• employer assistance
• extended family

F

• family preservation
• finalization
• foster
• foster care
• foster children
• foster parents
• foster adoption

G

• gestational surrogacy
• group home
• guardian ad litem (GAL)

H

• Hague convention on intercountry adoption
• heart gallery or heart galleries
• home study

I

• infertility
• indentifying information
• independent adoption
• independent living
• Indian Child Welfare Act
• intended parent
• intercountry adoption
• international adoption

J

• juvenile offender

K

• kinship care

L

• legal custody
• legal guardian
• legal risk placement
• legally free
• lifebook
• long term foster care

M

• mandatory reporter
• matching
• maternity home
• multi-ethnic placement act
• mutual consent registry
  • see adoption registry

N

• national foster parent association
• neglect
• non-identifying information
• non-recurring adoption costs

O

• open adoption
• original birth certificate
• orphan
• orphanage

P

• permanency planning
• photolisting
• placed for adoption
• prospective parent
• purchase of service
• putative
• putative father

Q

• qualified adoption expenses

R

• reactive attachment disorder (RAD)
• relinquishment
• respite care
• residential care facility
• reunification
• reunion
• reunion registry
  • see adoption registry

S

• semi-open adoption
• special needs adoption
• special needs children
• step parent adoption
• supplemental security income
• surrogacy -
  • traditional surrogacy
  • gestational surrogacy
• surrogate mother

T

• tax credit
• termination of parental rights (TPR)
• therapeutic foster home
• traditional surrogacy

U

V

• voluntary reunion registry

W

• waiting children

X

Y

Z