While some families may be eager to engage with the birth parents, others are hesitant. Building a relationship with the birth parents can provide invaluable benefits regardless of your feelings. If you are a new adoptive family, here are some reasons to start making contact with the birth parents:
Pre-adoptionTraining
Pre-adoption training focuses on establishing birth family connections. Birth parents should discuss their preferences for contact and involvement with their future child, their religious beliefs, and how to maintain contact with their child’s biological parents. A program like Act of Love can facilitate communication.
Many adoption practitioners recommend and encourage contact between adoptive parents and birth families. They believe this relationship will help children understand adoption and foster adoptive identity formation. Some adoptive mothers have also noted that contact with birth relatives has allowed them to discuss adoption issues with their children. Furthermore, a recent study showed that adoptive mothers deliberately used contact with birth relatives to support the formation of their adoptive child’s identity.
Impact of post-adoption support on birth parents
Post-adoption birth mother assistance South Dakota is significant for birth parents. Unfortunately, research has shown that birth parents are at a greater risk of developing mental health problems and substance abuse issues than adoptive parents. This is particularly true of those with a history of substance abuse. Fortunately, there are ways to improve the quality of post-adoption support and make it more effective.
To improve post-adoption support, educate adoption professionals about the importance of birth parent involvement. Many adoptive families want to stay in contact with birth parents but often find it impossible. There are several reasons for this. First, birth parents may be uncomfortable with continued communication. Second, they may not understand the importance of the relationship.
Contact with birth family
Contact with birth families has been proven to help children and parents deal with adoption and the loss of a child. It can also be developed into a casual friendship.
Some families are excited about the idea of contact with the birth family. Others are hesitant. But building a relationship is highly recommended and can have many benefits. For example, contact with birth parents can help the child adjust to the adoption process and make the transition to permanent adoption easier.
Contact with birth families is a lifelong process that can positively and negatively affect both sides. In recent years, specialist post-adoption support services have emerged to recognize the long-term impact of adoption.
Email Exchange
Unlike in-person interactions, email exchanges between prospective birth parents and adoptive families allow both parties to stay in touch at their own pace. Prospective adoptive parents are often asked to provide their email addresses to prospective birth parents, and in some cases, they will also provide a separate phone number. Ideally, this phone number will be one the prospective adoptive parents will be able to reach their convenience.
The contact can take several forms, including photos, phone calls, and video chats. Unfortunately, birth parents may be incarcerated in some cases, and phone contact with their children is often impossible.
Relationships between adoptive and birth families
Current adoption practices generally involve a commitment to openness and contact between adoptive parents and birth relatives. These open relationships can help foster a child’s well-being and facilitate the development of post-adoption attachments. However, these contact sessions are not without challenges. For one, there are practical and safety issues. Additionally, contact sessions introduce children to painful transparency. Contact visits can also help children understand their status as adoptees.
In addition, adoptive parents must be committed to maintaining these relationships. Therefore, it is essential to include the birth family members in the contact process and to establish ongoing communication with them. These parents should also be aware of the needs of their birth siblings and their adoptive parents.