Open Adoption (Åpen adopsjon): Contact After Adoption
Open adoption means that the child may keep some form of planned, structured contact with their family of origin after an adoption. In Norway, this is not the default model for adoption, but post-adoption contact (Norwegian: besøkskontakt) can be decided in limited situations—especially when an adoption has been ordered through the child welfare system.
What Norwegian law actually allows
- Forced adoption route: When adoption is ordered under the Child Welfare Act (barnevernsloven) § 5-10, the tribunal must consider whether there should be post-adoption contact if requested and if the adoptive applicants consent. (See barnevernsloven § 10-10 and adopsjonsloven § 25.)
- Best interests threshold: Any contact must be assessed as being in the child’s best interests, and the scope (frequency/format) must be specified.
- Consent is a gate: In practice, the consent requirement from adoptive parents makes “open adoption” difficult to achieve, even where contact would support identity and psychological continuity.
Do Better Norge perspective
Do Better Norge argues that “open adoption” should not be treated as an exotic exception. If a state permanently severs legal ties, it should still be required to protect the child’s right to identity, origin, and meaningful relationships when safe and appropriate. The current system risks creating a self-fulfilling permanence: minimal contact weakens the bond, and then the weak bond is used to justify continued separation.
Practical checklist (if you are a parent)
- Request contact early and in writing (during tribunal proceedings). Ask the tribunal to address besøkskontakt explicitly.
- Propose a child-centred plan: predictable, calm, supervised if needed, with clear routines. Offer step-up options if it goes well.
- Document your stability: housing, work, treatment (if relevant), parenting support, and consistent attendance at visits.
- Ask for reasons if denied: request a written explanation of why contact is not considered in the child’s best interests and what would have to change.
What “contact” can look like
- In-person visits (rare in forced-adoption cases)
- Indirect contact: letters, photos, updates, “life story work”
- Digital contact (only if assessed as safe and supportive)
Key references
- Adoption Act (Adopsjonsloven) § 25 – Post-adoption contact
- Child Welfare Act (Barnevernsloven) § 10-10 – Contact after adoption
- Bufdir: Advice and guidance after adoption
Related Do Better Norge entries: Forced Adoption (Tvangsadopsjon), Right to Biological Origin, Reporting & Documentation.
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