Intentional Kinship through Caring Relationships, Heritage, and Identity: Adoptive Parents’ Inclusion of Non-Biological and Non-Affinal Relationships on Family Maps

Structural open adoption has been beneficial to adoptees in integrating their birth heritage and identity. Adoptive parents also may sometimes seek out others who are neither related biologically nor through partnership support child developing an integrated sense of To what extent do these intentional kinship relationships become incorporated within the adoptive family network how view role child’s life? Qualitative data on inclusion non-biological non-affinal kin reported from interviews with lesbian, gay, bisexual, heterosexual (n = 25 families). Analyses verbal visual map drawing indicated that different types families similarly included conceptualization family. Adopted children’s foster carers, friends, other families, children adults were specifically maps facilitate knowledge aspects story. The implications policy therefore move beyond considerations only contact. In practice, procedures convey a broad message appear widen parents’ kinship.