encyclopedia of adoption

case records

The file maintained by the adoption agency on the child to be adopted, the biological parents or the prospective adoptive parents. In some cases, records may be very voluminous, particularly if the child has been in foster care for several years or more.

Case records include confidential and personal information about individuals and families that is generally not shared outside the agency, for example, information obtained during professional counseling, allegations of child abuse and results of investigations.

Prospective adoptive parents of children with SPECIAL NEEDS should request as much nonidentifying information as possible about the child they are planning to adopt, including permission to review appropriate portions of the case records when legally permissible. (See also OPEN RECORDS; SEALED RECORDS.)

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