Adoption is the judicial act of creating the relationship of parent and child where it did not exist previously. An adoption is intended to permanently terminate all rights and responsibilities of the biological parent(s). A new birth certificate should be issued naming the adoptive parent as the biological/natural parent of the child and the court’s file should be sealed. There are several types of adoptions, including, but not limited to, private adoptions, agency adoptions, step-parent adoptions and foreign adoptions.