Equitable Adoption
Definition
A legal principle that allows a person to be considered the adoptive parent of a child in the absence of a legal, court-sanctioned adoption. An equitable adoption requires that there be an agreement between the adoptive and birth parents, which does not necessarily need to be formalized or written, and that the adoptive parents substantively perform by living with and caring for the child. An equitable adoption is also referred to as a virtual adoption.