What is the difference between a "closed" adoption and an "open" adoption?

What is the difference between a "closed" adoption and an "open" adoption?

Jennifer Perry (Executive Director, Children's Action Network) gives expert video advice on: Who can adopt a child?; What would make me ineligible to adopt a child?; Which is adopted more - boys or girls? and more...

A closed adoption means that once the adoption has been finalized and the child has been given over from the birth parent to the adoptive parents, there is no more contact between those two parties. An open adoption is an adoption where, after the adoptive parents have assumed care of the child from the birth parents, they have agreed to have ongoing contact between the two entities. That contact can take a variety of different forms from weekly to monthly to only on special occasions. It depends on the agreement that is made between the two parties as part of the open adoption.