glossary

Abandonment: A parent, caretaker, or legal guadian fails or refuses to physically, emotionally, or financially support his or her child.
Abuse: Any non-accidential harm inflicted on a person through physical, verbal, emotional, or sexual means. Being abused may cause the victim to develop emotional or behavioral problems, some of which may not appear until later in life.
Acting-out behavior: Children who have suffered abuse may exhibit behaviors that reflect the abuse they have experienced or witnessed. For instance, physically abused children may be more inclined to hit and hurt other children, and sexually abused children may try to engage other children or adults in inappropriate sexual activity.
Adjustment disorder: The development of emotional or behavioral symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, sleeping problems, inappropriate conduct that appear in response to an identifiable stress event that are more intense than one would expect from such a stressor. Children with adjustment disorders may experience significant trouble in school and in social situations.
Adoption Registry: The purpose of the adoption reunion registry is to document the consent or refusal to consent to the release of information which would identify the registrant. The registry will contain: voluntary consents, refusals of consents, and revocations of consent. ~ from the State of Connecticut, DCF Policy Manual concerning the Adoption Resource Exchange.
Adult Adoptions: Adult adoption: Any person eighteen years of age or older may, by written agreement with another person at least eighteen years of age but younger than himself, unless the other person is his or her wife, husband, brother, sister, uncle or aunt of the whole or half-blood, adopt the other person as his child, provided the written agreement shall be approved by the court of probate for the district in which the adopting parent resides or, if the adopting parent is not an inhabitant of this state, for the district in which the adopted person resides. Conn. Gen. Stats. §45a-734(a)
All Parents: It is possible that a child for whom the Deartment of Children and Families has filed a petition in Superior Court for termination of parental rights may not have the identity or the legal rights of the father firmly established. Petitons often name any putative fathers as well as legal fathers, if there is any question as to the identity of the birth father. See birth father, legal father, putative father.

Birth Family: People who share a child's genetic heritage (blood relations, extended family members, kin).
Birth Parents: A child's biological mother and father.
Blood Relatives: A blood relatve is one who is descended from a common ancestor not more than three generations removed from the child . . . . shall include, but not be limited to the father of an illegitimate child who had been adjudged by a court of competent jurisdiction to be the father of the child, or who has acknowledged his paternity under the provisions of section 46b-172a, with further relationship to the child determined through the father. Conn. Gen. Stats. 45a-724 (a)(3)

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Closed Adoption: Neither birth parents nor extended biological family have any contact with the adoptive child or adoptive family. They have no information as to the identity of the adoptive family.
Cognitive Delays: Child exhibits less than average development of a his/her ability to process information or think logically or analytically. Treatment may involve alternate learning and coaching.
Consultation: A preliminary exploration of your options, the timetable and the costs of adoption. We will try to answer all your questions about the various adotpion methods and options.

Developmental Delay: A child's developmental progress is generally measured against other children of the same age with regard to the development of their age-appropiate skills such as, sitting up, walking, toilet training, and talking.
Disruption: An adoption disrupts when the adoptive parents, the child, or a legal authority appointed in the child's behalf ends the adoption. An adoption may disrupt due to risk to the adopted child or the adoptive family and may occur before or after finalization.


Finalization: The legal documentation that makes the adoption final after a period of mutual trial, usually at least six (6) months for infants and twelve (12) months for older children.
Foster Children: A child who has been placed in a state-approved and licensed home charged with the baord and care of that chld. A child may be placed in foster care due to abandonment, death, abuse or neglect.
Foster Parents: Adults who have been licensed by the state and who provide board and care for children in need of out-of-home placement. Foster parents receive training, and must successfully complete police and criminal checks as well as have their homes inspected by the state child welfare agency.

Guardian-ad-litem: Generally, the attorney appointed by the Court as the guardian ad litem represents of the child's best interests, while the job of the child's attorney is to be an advocate for the child and the child's wishes. In Connecticut, anyone who cannot communicate their wishes, or who lacks competency to act in their own best interests, may, in order to see that their interests are protected, be given a guardian-ad-litem by the Court. From the Connecticut Probate Practice Book, Rule 1.1.09, "The term Guardian ad litem shall mean a person appointed by the court during any proceeding in which a minor child, undetermined or unborn or class of such person, or a person whose identity or address is unknown, or an incompetent person is a party, to represent and protect the interests of such parties."

Home Study: A licensed social worker wil conduct several meetings with you to discuss your ability to parent, and your motivation to adopt. A complete medical and personal history, a police check and other documentation may be required.

Identified Adoption: The commissioner or a child-placing agency may place a child in adoption who has been identified or located by a prospective parent, provided any such placement shall be made in accordance with regulations promulgated by the commissioner pursuant to section 45a-728. If any such placement is not made in accordance with such regulations, the adoption shall not be approved by the court of probate. Conn. Gen. Stats. 45a-727(a)(3)

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Open Adoption: In open adoptions, birth parents and adoptive parents have some knowledge about one another. There is no universally accepted definition of open adoption - as it can take many different forms, and is not leggaly availble in all states. Informal open adoptions occur when relatives (grandparents, aunts and uncles,etc) take responsiblity for providing a home and parental guidance to a grand-child, niece, nephew, etc when the birth parents are not available or have not provided appropiate care.

Parent Training: Led by a social worker, prospective parents are offered a classroom oppoortunity to learn what to expect when their child is placed.
Police Check: You must submit fingerprints to be checked bythe state police or FBI. A name-check may also need to be done.

Post-Placement Services: A social worker will help you and your child ease the stress of adjustment with helpful suggestions on child development, behavior management and family relations.
Pre-adoptive Counseling: A social worker will provide you with information about the adoption process, the issues that face both children and adults in adoptions and helpful information about other services you may wish to access.

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Registry: See Adoption Registry

Semi-open Adoption: After a child is placed in the adoptive home, they may be receive letters, pictures or other communications through a third party, sometimes the state welfare agency or the private adoption agency.
Special Education: All children in Connecticut are entitled to receive special education services if qualified by set criteria. Specialized educational services are designed to address disabilities in intelligence, language skills, perceptive skills, behavior, or social and emotional development that make it hard for a student to learn well in a regular classroom or through usual methods of instruction.
Special Needs: A broad term that describes a wide-range of issues. Children who qualify for special needs adoption are generally between the age of eighteen (18) months and fouteen years old. Many have emotional, physical, or intellectual disabilities, or belong to a sibling group that needs to be placed together. For more in-depth understanding of special needs adoptions, CLICK HERE.


Termination of Parental Rights: Termaination of Parental Rights is the complete severance by court order of the legal relationship between child and parent(s) and places the child legally free for adoption.
Therapeutic Foster Home: Foster parents who receive special training to parent a wide variety of children, including those who are developmentally delayed, moderately or severely disturbed, delinquent, or medically fragile. Therapeutic foster parents work closely with each child's physician, psychiatric caregivers as well as the state child welfare agency. They are required to receive ongoing training and to actively participate in the child's medical and/or psychological treatment.

Transracial or transcultural adoption: The placement of a child who is of one race or ethnic group with adoptive parents of another race or ethnic group.



Wrongful adoption: . . . fraudulent concealment by intermediaries (adoption agencies . . .) of material facts about a child or her biological family, usually a hereditary physical or mental condition, which, if disclosed to the prospective adoptive parents, would have resulted in the adoption not taking place. Juman v. Louise Wise Services, 608 N.Y.S.2d 612, 614-615 (1994)

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Agency News

Sep 16, 2009 - Families Needed:
We are now looking for Connecticut parents to adopt infants of all races, including African-American, through private domestic adoption. The waiting period has become much shorter over this past year, so domestic adoption has become a more viable option for many. As always, we are also seeking families to adopt CT state foster children through our grant-funded program "Project CT's Child".
May 1, 2009 - Check out the Heart Gallery
If you are considering adopting a child from the state foster care system, please visit the "Heart Gallery", a moving exhibit featuring portraits of waiting children. We can help you adopt these and other foster children. You can view these photos at: www.heartgalleryct.org
Apr 17, 2009 - Visit Us on Cable TV
If you live in Southeastern CT, please check out our public access TV show "Families in the Making". The schedule is listed on the section of this website titled: Visit Us on Cable.

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Child Adoption Resource Association :: Eastern CT: 2 Union Plaza; Suite 300; New London, CT 06320; 860-444-0553; director@adoptacarakid.org