Section 112-B. Post-adoption contact agreements; judicial approval; enforcement  


Latest version.
  • 1. Nothing in this section shall be construed  to  prohibit
      the  parties  to  a  proceeding under this chapter from entering into an
      agreement regarding communication with or contact  between  an  adoptive
      child,  adoptive  parent or parents and a birth parent or parents and/or
      the adoptive child's biological siblings or half-siblings.
        2. Agreements regarding communication or contact between  an  adoptive
      child,  adoptive parent or parents, and a birth parent or parents and/or
      biological siblings or half-siblings of an adoptive child shall  not  be
      legally  enforceable  unless the terms of the agreement are incorporated
      into a written court order entered in accordance with the provisions  of
      this  section.  The  court  shall not incorporate an agreement regarding
      communication or contact into an order unless the terms  and  conditions
      of  the  agreement  have  been  set forth in writing and consented to in
      writing by the parties to the  agreement,  including  the  law  guardian
      representing  the  adoptive  child. The court shall not enter a proposed
      order unless  the  court  that  approved  the  surrender  of  the  child
      determined  and  stated  in  its  order  that  the communication with or
      contact between the adoptive child, the prospective adoptive  parent  or
      parents  and  a  birth  parent  or parents and/or biological siblings or
      half-siblings, as agreed upon and as set forth in the  agreement,  would
      be  in  the  adoptive  child's best interests. Notwithstanding any other
      provision of law, a copy of the order entered pursuant to  this  section
      incorporating  the post-adoption contact agreement shall be given to all
      parties who have agreed to the terms and conditions of such order.
        3. Failure to comply with the terms  and  conditions  of  an  approved
      order  regarding  communication  or contact that has been entered by the
      court pursuant to this section shall not be grounds for setting aside an
      adoption decree or revocation of written consent to  an  adoption  after
      that consent has been approved by the court as provided in this section.
        4.  An  order  incorporating  an  agreement regarding communication or
      contact entered under this section may be enforced by any party  to  the
      agreement  or  the law guardian by filing a petition in the family court
      in the county where the adoption was approved. Such petition shall  have
      annexed  to  it  a  copy  of the order approving the agreement regarding
      communication or contact. The court shall not  enforce  an  order  under
      this section unless it finds that the enforcement is in the child's best
      interests.
        5.  If  a birth parent has surrendered a child to an authorized agency
      pursuant to the provisions of section three  hundred  eighty-three-c  or
      section three hundred eighty-four of the social services law, and if the
      court  before  whom  the surrender instrument was presented for approval
      approved an agreement providing for communication or contact pursuant to
      paragraph (a) of  subdivision  two  of  section  three  hundred  eighty-
      three-c  or  paragraph  (a)  of subdivision two of section three hundred
      eighty-four of  the  social  services  law,  a  copy  of  the  surrender
      instrument  and  of  the  approved  agreement  shall  be  annexed to the
      petition of adoption. The court shall issue an order  incorporating  the
      terms  and  conditions  of  the  approved  agreement  into  the order of
      adoption. Notwithstanding any other provision of  law,  a  copy  of  any
      order entered pursuant to this subdivision shall be given to the parties
      who approved such agreement.
        6.  If  a  surrender instrument executed by a birth parent pursuant to
      section three hundred eighty-three-c or three hundred eighty-four of the
      social services law contains  terms  and  conditions  that  provide  for
      communication  with  or  contact  between  a child and a birth parent or
      parents, such terms and conditions  shall  not  be  legally  enforceable
      after  any  adoption approved by a court pursuant to this article unless
    
      the court has entered an order pursuant to  this  section  incorporating
      those terms and conditions into a court ordered adoption agreement.