Glossary of Adoption Terms

Adoptee

 Adoption Decree 

The document issued by the court upon finalization of an adoption, stating that the adoptee is the legal child of the adoptive parents. The final order issued by the court that grants the adoption to the adoptive parents.  This document ends the responsibility for further supervision or reporting to or by Gladney in a domestic infant adoption.

Adoption Plan

The unique, individual plan a particular set of birth parents make for the adoption of their child.

Adoption Triad

The three primary parties affected by an adoption: the birth parents, the child and the adoptive parent(s).

 Adoptive Parent Caseworker (APCW 

A caseworker assigned to an adoptive parent couple, who have been approved and are waiting to adopt.

Adoptive Parent(s) (AP’s)

For a domestic and intercountry adoption, AP’s are a person or couple approved to adopt a child.

Age out (of the system)

Children in foster care who are never adopted, “age out” of the foster care system at 18 without having a family or support after they reach adulthood. This is the same for intercountry, but the ages vary depending on the country.

Apostille

A form of authentication that certifies the authenticity of a document intended for use in a foreign country. Apostille is the term used by most Hague countries, with the exception of China.

Article 5

A letter issued by the US Embassy which allows the family to travel to that country to meet their child and begin judicial process to finalize the adoption. The letter is received typically six weeks after the family officially accepts the referral. This process occurs in all Hague Convention countries.

Attorney Ad Litem

An attorney appointed by the court to represent a child or a parent in a legal proceeding.

Authentication

A form of authentication that certifies the authenticity of a document intended for use in a foreign country. An authentication and an apostille are essentially the same thing, but different countries require different forms.

Birth Parent

The biological mother or biological father who has placed a child for adoption.

Birth Parent Caseworker (BPCW)

Specific case worker who is working with the expectant mothers as she plans an adoption.

Caseworker

China Center for Children’s Welfare and Adoption (CCCWA)

The central authority in China for international adoption.  

Council on Accreditation (COA)

Accrediting organization for adoption agencies and other organizations. This is an international definition.

Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA)

A volunteer advocate appointed by the court in a CPS case to help assure that every abused or neglected child has a consistent caring adult advocating for his/her health and safety.

 Court of Continuing Jurisdiction Letter (CCJ)

A letter that is received from Austin, TX prior to finalizing a termination, stating whether there is another court within the state that has taken jurisdiction over the child in a prior action.  The purpose of this requirement is to assure that the Attorney General is involved in any case that had a previous child support order, to further assure that any past child support obligation or welfare moneys owed to the state have been paid off.

Domestic Infant Adoptive Parent (AP) Orientation

Prospective families are invited by Gladney to learn about the services that Gladney offers. This orientation takes place once a month. After attending, a prospective AP can purchase and submit an application.

Dossier

The collection of documents that a family is required to submit to the country they are adopting from.

Embassy Visa Appointment

The appointment at the U.S. Embassy in the country the child is from that allows the child to have a Visa to enter the United States. The purpose of this appointment is for the U.S. Embassy to determine that the child meets the qualifications that allow them to be adopted internationally. This appointment is typically the last step before a family can bring their child home.

Expectant Mother

Typically identifies a pregnant woman who is considering adoption.

Face to Face (F2F)

A scheduled meeting when birth parents and adoptive parents meet for the first time. Birth parent caseworkers are always in attendance, and adoptive parent caseworkers are in attendance if the meeting is within Dallas-Fort Worth limits.

 Finalization  

The court hearing which results in the adoption decree. This is the moment when the adoptee becomes the permanent, legally adopted child of the adoptive parents. In Texas, this cannot occur less than six months after the adoption, and AP’s must have completed their post placement supervisory obligations.

Foster Adoption

Foster Care

 A temporary arrangement whereby persons other than the birth parents care for a child for a period of time. This can be informal or arranged through the courts or a social service agency. 

Gladney Family Association (GFA)

The “alumni” of Gladney adoptive parents and adoptees. The GFA’s offer social events for Gladney families and friends, as well as educational opportunities and networking to raise awareness about Gladney’s mission. The GFA’s are grouped geographically and each is led by a network president. Having an established network of other adoptive families is one aspect that sets Gladney apart as an adoption agency.

The Hague Convention

An international agreement to establish safeguards to ensure that intercountry adoptions take place in the best interests of the child. The Convention entered into force for the United States in April 2008. The Hague Adoption Convention applies to adoptions between the United States and the other countries that have joined the convention.

Supplies, donations, or funds given to projects that support children in other countries.

“The Colombian Institute of Family Welfare”; created in 1968, this is an entity of the Colombian government that works for the prevention and comprehensive protection of infancy, childhood, adolescence and well-being of families in Colombia.  ICBF provides services to children, adolescents and families, especially those at risk, or in violation of their rights.  The Institute has 33 regional and 206 local centers across the country, reaching more than 8 million Colombians with their services.

When the birth parent(s) and adoptive parent(s) know the complete identity of each other. This is a totally open adoption.

A federal statute that sets out specific requirements that must be complied with when placing a child for adoption whose parent is Native American.  The federal law supersedes state law and the relinquishment occurs in court after the child is at least 10 days old. Relinquishment is revocable until the judge enters a final order terminating all rights of all parties.

Intercountry

The formal term for international adoption used by the Hague Convention.

Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) 

This is an agreement of cooperation between all the states in creating a system for sending and receiving children between the states for the purpose of foster care or adoption.   According to the statute, no person or agency shall send a child to another state or receive a child into the state for foster care or adoption unless approval is obtained from the governing body in both the sending state and the receiving state.

Legal Risk Placement

The placement of a child into a prospective adoptive home prior to the entry of a termination decree.

Letter of Intent (LOI)

A document that is submitted once a family decides to adopt a waiting child, which puts that child “on hold” for them until the dossier is complete and can be reviewed.  Submitting the LOI does not guarantee dossier approval nor that ICBF will refer the child to the family.  The official approval and referral can only be processed once the family submits their completed dossier. Colombia and China specific term.

Letter Seeking 
Confirmation or Letter of Affirmation (LSC or LOA)

Two different names for the same document. This is the official referral certificate assigning a child to a family that is issued by CCCWA. China specific term.

Log in Date (LID)

The date a family’s dossier is logged into China’s system and they become eligible to be matched with a child. China specific term.

Matched

The status of the family when they have been chosen to be the forever family for a child. This is an internal status we assign so we know if a family is no longer available.

Maternity Service Plan (MSP)

A licensing requirement for each admitted expectant mother client to have a plan that outlines her needs and expectations her working with Gladney.

New Beginnings Program

Children available for adoption who are currently in foster care, or medically fragile infants and children.

Pathways Training

A two-day training that all international and New Beginnings families attend at Gladney’s Fort Worth campus. The training is based on the “Trust Based Relational Intervention” model created at Texas Christian University.

Placement

When the adoptive parents take over legal responsibility of the child, often done in a ceremonial event with the birth parents. 

Post Placement Reports

Reports required by each country that tell how a child is doing after placement. Each country has their own requirements for the amount of reports and specific content. These reports are completed by a social worker or by the family, and are sent back to the child’s country of birth by Gladney’s Family Services team

Private or Independent Adoption

An adoption which is arranged without the matching process of an agency. Often an intermediary, such as an adoption attorney, is involved. The child is placed directly from a birth parent with an adoptive parent.

Profile Book

Approved adoptive parents create a “scrapbook” of their current lives to be shown to a potential birth mother when she is looking for an adoptive family. Profile books are made as a physical hard copy, but can also be posted online.

Putative Father Registry 

A mechanism that allows birth fathers to identify themselves for the purpose of establishing their legal right to notifications should an adoptive plan be under consideration for their child. Some states provide this type of a public registry, usually administered by the state's Department of Vital Records, where an unmarried man who believes he is the father of a child may register and claim paternity.  

Readoption

A legal process that families complete in the United States after bringing their child home, which allows their child to obtain a U.S. Adoption Decree and a U.S. Birth Certificate.

Recognition

A legal process similar to a Readoption that recognizes a child’s foreign adoption decree, and allows the child to obtain a U.S. Birth Certificate.

Referral

A child’s official file that is received after he/she is assigned to a family. Typically this file contains photos and medical, psychological, or developmental information. This is an international definition.

When Gladney’s Post Adoption Department is able to connect an adult adoptee and birth family member through the Texas Voluntary Registry.

This is normally called a “matched adoption.” This is a non-relative or foster adoption. All Gladney adoptions are matched. 

Superkids is a humanitarian aid initiative within Gladney’s Asia Waiting Child program that utilizes volunteer trips to provide developmental screenings, caregiver trainings, and adoption advocacy for waiting children with special needs in orphanages. The blog features information about children in our Superkids program.

A voluntary termination of parental rights in court is a necessary legal step before a child can be adopted by another parent. Gladney’s legal team handles this step of the legal adoption process for all domestic adoption cases. A judge enters a decree permanently ending all legal parental rights of a birth parent to a child. This must occur before a child is considered to be "legally free" for adoption.

Transitional Care (TC)

Travel Approval (TA) 

Official certificate issued by CCCWA that approves a family to travel for placement with their child. China specific term.

Types of Adoption

Open, Semi-Open, and Closed are the most common types of adoption.

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

The government office that processes all of the immigration documentation that families are required to have to adopt internationally.

 Waiting Children 

 Refers to older children, sibling groups, or children with medical needs. Often these children are harder to place, and their countries are passionate about advocating for them to find families. This is an international definition.