Adoption

History of the act of formal adoption and the law

- pre and post 1976.

Adoption was put on a formal footing in 1926, following the publication of the Adoption of children Act.

Prior to this adoptions were aranged by adoption sociates and between private individuals. Some societies, one being the Church of England Childrens society

maintains records of adoptions that they arranged. Boards of guardians also prepared reports but very few remain.

When the act was drafted it was assumed that the adopted peroson break with the birth family would be total and it was believed that adopted would never

be able to trace their birth roots.

By 1927 Adoptions had to be approved by magistrates meeting at a petty court session where each court maintained a register. The registers contain the

Date, name of the child to be adopted, & the date of birth. Also the name and address of the birth mother (and some times the father ) Name and address of

the adoptive parents and sometimes name of person acting as guardian ad litem and the decision of the court.The registers can be disapointing as hand writing

is often poor.

These registers are closed by law for 75 years

The clerk to the petty session court kept a file on each adoption and many have been destroyed .Some maybe deposited at the NRO, but are not open to

public inspection.

Later ,Local authorities were given authority to supervise adoptions and childrens officers were appointed, sometimes attached to the education dept ( before

the creation of social services dep's in 1971), who again kept a register of all the cases whith which they were involved. The registers are dated 1927-1945

and are a useful indication as to wether there are papers relating to the adoption in the Childrens officers files. If the register indicates That the county

Council acted as Guardian Ad Litem , there should be relevant papers.

Childrens officers files can be disappointing but should contain forms signed by birth mother relinquishing her rights to the child.Sometimes there is

correspondence from the local clery as to the suitibility of the prospective parents .Sometimes a note about the birth mother and her circumstances, and in

some cases notes about the father too.

Registers of all adoptions are kept at the General Register Office and indexes to them can be access BUT Only the adoptee is allowed access to the infomation

that links the birth name with the adopted one.

The Adoption Act which came into being in 1976 , changed things slightly. This made provision for people adopted after 11th November 1975, the right to

access their birth records one they reached 18 years of age. It gave people adopted before that date the same right, except with the proviso that they must

seek councilling first.The NRO will NOT release records to anyone without the appropiate official paperwork to say this has been done.

What is adoption?

Adoption is a way of providing a new family for a child when living with their own family is not possible. It is the means of giving a child an opportunity to start again.

The mechanics of adoption

The adoption process

To be eligible for adoption the child must be under the age of 18 years and a child for whom returning home to their parents is not possible. Should the child be

married or has been married they cannot be adopted.

An Adoption Order severs all legal ties with the birth family and confers parental rights and responsibilities on the new adoptive family. The birth parents no longer have any legal

rights over the child and they are not entitled to claim them back. The child becomes a full member of the family; they take adoptive parents surname and

assume the same rights and privileges as if they had been born to them, including the right of inheritance.

All adoption orders must be granted by the High Courts, county courts or Juvenile courts.They issue a directive to the Registrar General to make an entry in

the adopted childrens register, according to the particulars of the adopted child and adoptive parents.

The new Adoption and Children Act 2002

The new Act, which came into force on 30 December 2005, brings the law on adoption up to date and puts the needs of the child above everything else. The

changes in the law should improve the adoption service and help more people consider adoption.

Who's search is it?

It is the adoptees search- no one else’s and should be carried out at their pace.

Any adoptee that chooses to search needs to do so for themselves and with very good reason.

All sorts of things may be uncovered along the way, that will raise emotional issues and thoughts. As each occurs they need to be thought through, and their

implications, on everyone, not just the adoptee, need close examination. What a well meaning friend thinks about something maybe completely different as to

what you think, gather opinion by all means, but ultimately, regardless of what anyone else thinks, It’s the adoptees feeling that matter most to them.

2 Senario’s ( of hundreds !)

You have your birth name, and your birth parents names on your original birth cert and have started basic factual research.

You find evidence to suggest that your birth mother went on and married.

Senario 1

She married a man 2 years after you were born, and had children, which consequently are your half sibs

Senario 2

She went on to marry your birth father 2 years after you were born and had children that are consequently your full sibs.

What does that make you feel? . Senario 1 evokes different feeling to scenario 2.This needs to be thought through and will have implications on what you may

or may not choose to do next, or even ever.

where to start?

1st step

In order to start your search it is necessary to obtain a copy of your Full original birth certificate.

i)if you know your birth name.

Sending for an original birth cert is no more difficult than sending for any other certificate from the GRO. The cost is £7 , and should be applied for using a GRO

ref Number. Should you have the inabilty to look it up for yourself, be assured that there is nothing in the GRO index that indicates the person is adopted.

ii)if you dont know your birth name

You will need to apply to the Registrar General for the infomation. If you were adopted before 12.11.1975 you are required to meet with an adoption councillor

prior to being given this info.

This councilling is arranged through the Office for National Statistics,

general register office,

(CA section) Smedley Hydro,

Trafalgar Rd,

Southport,

Merseyside

PR2 2HH.

You should write to that office and they will send you an application form and infomation leaflets which should be carefully read and followed.

Councilling will be arranged at a time convient to you, and at a location of your choosing, and will not happen overnight. Adoption record take time to source

and post adoption councilling is only a small part of what todays adoption teams do.

If you know your birth name, it is still highly benificial to have a session or even two with a post adoption councillor.They dont bite and have a wealth of

knowledge and experience and will not be shocked by anything they hear, nor judge how you feel. They are there to hold your hand,let them hold it.

Could a friend do the job as well as a councillor?

You may think so, but No, a friend can listen, and to a point understand, but what they cannot do is feel impartial.You can petty much say anything to a

councillor and they will understand, and have probably heard it before anyway.That coucillor will always be there for you, and far better, if you get to the

point of contacting a Birth parent, that they make that approach, than a well meaning friend.

2nd step Wite down everything you have been told about your birth and circumstances surrounding it.

If you have accessed your file through a councilling session, then again you will have info that you can note down.If you haven't, maybe its time to get that

councilling arranged. An adoption file can contain a wealth of info or very little but its all facts with which you can work.

It must be noted that not all files contain the absolute truth, what is recorded is what the agency or social worker involved was told at the time, by the

parties involved.

In the case of privately arranged adoptions information maybe hard to find , although the local authority that covers the area of the court that made the

adoption order should have records, if only brief. At the very least they will have overseen your welfare supervision, and may still have the records

3rd step

Actively register you interest in the places that birth families will have registered their desire to establish contact - if this is what you seek to achieve - below

i) The Registrar General.[i]Before 1891 the registrar general operated a non- statutory system of record tagging, a kind of unofficial swap system , so that

councellors could be advised of enquiries made by birth family members about an adopted person, which can then be passed on at a councelling session.

Since May 1991 the adoption contact register has been operational and a relative may have registered. Apply for the forms to complete along with a leaflet of

explanation to:

Office of National Statistics

General register office (CA section)

Smedley Hydro

Trafalgar Rd

Southport

Merseyside

RP8 2HH

ii) To the society that arranged you adoption.

iii)The NORCAP register

iv) the local authority adoption section that arranged your adoption

Step 4

Gathering your evidence

(Search flowchart)

Coping with the hard facts

Once you start searching you must prepare yourselve for finding things that you may find unpleasant and well as positive things. Do try and prepare yourself

for the worst care senarios, then it can only be better. Its is possible, despite what you have been led to believe , that you may have been born as a result of

Rape,Incest or that you were in fact a foundling.Maybe you were concieved as result of an extra marital affair or you birth mother was nothing more than a

child herself.All these senarios case different emotions which should be thought through before proceding and again, consideration given as to the likely

outcome of a reunion with a mother who gave her child for adoption in one of those 'worst case ' senarios. Put youself in that birth mothers shoes and

consider agan how she might have felt both then and will feel now if you re-enter her world. Mybe it will make you abilty to approach her easier, or harder but

either way, at least you'll know.

Coping with finding a death of a birth parent - if your aim was to meet them- can be desperately hard, and of course, can be discussed with your councillor.

After a long slog,the finding of a death can close a journey so abruptly, so again examine how you'll feel if you happen across this.

Althought its my search who else does it affect?

As has been said it is the adoptee's search, no one else, although other people, are involved to various degrees. Their thought and feeling may play a part in

this search, in the way you go about things, and to whom you can feel comfortable talking to about it.

i) You - explore what you really feel before you embark upon the search.Are you ready? If not dont start! Dont ever feel pressured by anyone else that is

something you have to do, you dont if you dont want to!

ii) Your Husband/wife/partner

Its a good idea to have a spouse/partner with you in spirit, whilst undergoing your search.there will be days, weeks even ,when you feel elation or dispair

which will be hard to diguise or brush off. feeling that may emerge in you may manifest as anger or jubilation, and its far better to be in a position to share

with those that love you, than to have to try to cover it up .

A partner may not understand why you need to know - they dont have toand although it might make things more difficult emotionally, it is still considered

better than they are aware that you are doing it.

iii)Your children

Are your children of an age to understand the concept that you are exploring? Will it confuse them as to who they are, or indeed who they are? Will it confuse

them as to their loyalties if and when your search comes to fruition, as to who is who, and where they stand with who? If you have any doubts, that they will

not understand the concept, keep it until they do.

iiii)Your Adoptive parents

This is always a difficult one, and depends on how open you feel your parents were with you about your adoption.

People that have had a chance to talk with their adoptive parents freely and openly over the years about the fact that they were adopted may find it easier,

than those for whom it was a closed subject, or indeed kept a complete secret and the adoptee has discovered rather than having been told .

If you feel you can tell your adoptive parents, its probably better that they know. They love you and maybe able to fill in some more blanks that will help you

on your way, they, after all probably know fact that they havent told you, quite simply because you haven't felt the need to ask, up until now.

Adoptive parents are not a naive as we are given to believe.They are few that do not realise that this search is not something their adopted child may one

day, want to embark upon. The may have reservation, or feel a little put out, and if so then the quieter and calmer you are about it, probably the better.

iv) Your birth family

Of course, you search may have implications on them. The circumstances surounding your birth maybe completely in the open and common

knowledge amongst subsequent husbands/partners/siblings, but of course it may not. It cannot be stressed enough, that a birth mothers 'here and now' must

be given consideration irrespective of an adoptees needs and wants - however hard that is for the adoptee - the adoptee that tries to breezes back into a

birth mothers life is likely to get a less favourable reception than one who has tactfully and quietly made an advance and respected birth mothers feelings and

has proved by their actions that they can be discrete and diplomatic.

Sarahs Story

when its ready !

What are the costs involved in searching?

In working out what costs will be incurred, one needs to think further than simply financial costs.Other things to consider are time, energy and emotional cost

as well as monitary.

Time will have to be put aside for councilling session(s) as well as for travel to register offices and maybe even to the GRO.Research can be very time

consuming, and when a critical point it reached can be 'life encompassing' and needs to be strictly disciplined so that it does not become your whole life. Never

forget that your family needs you now! Do you have that time without making too many sacrifices?

Seaching through Birth death and marriage records cost little, if anything. What needs to be thought out is how to pay for the inevtiable cerificates that will

be required and expenses such as travel. A telephone is a useful asset , and a very draining resource - if every last penny you can muster goes into research

something or someone is bound to suffer. Set yourself a budget and try and stick to it .

Source to aid in the search for a birth parent

The Register of electors will soon become familiar to you, and will no doubt be searched on countless occasions.These are availible only in the locality to which

they are relevant. They can only be searched by address - the addrss at which a birth parent lived when you were born is a good start point.

Birth deaths and marriages index Hours spent closely examining birth death and marriage registers will soon become a time consuming interest.Record your

findings and note where and when you have looked.Make notes and record every possibility just in case.

Telephone directories/on line directories

Make a list of all the occurances of the right name, and cross ref them with the electoral roll.Probably the last thing you'd ever do is actually telephone

someone you thought to be a birth parent, but using a telephone directory to gather name occurances is a good idea.

How do you know if you are adopted?

In recent times, given the changes in adoption law and current thinking, that it is better that a child know they are adopted, than for them to 'find out' by

some means. Many, although not all, of todays adoptees maintain contact with their birth parents, although this is relatively new thinking.

Many people will no doubt go through life never even knowing they were adopted, No one has ever told them and they have never had a situation arise in

which they have queried their parentage- its a small minority though.

Most will know, because their parents have told them, maybe just once and never spoke of it again, but nevertheless, have told them.

Other parents will be open and honest and expain to the child what being adopted means, maybe starting at an early age, before the child even understands

the complex meaning of what they are being told.

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There is no rule, No-one has to tell their child they are adopted ( although the child may not thank them should they ever discover!) and there is nothing to

say that a child shouldn't be told, for whatever reason. A parents ability to talk about their Childs adoption no way reflects on their love for the child - some

can talk openly and honestly about adoption, like many other things, others Just not as confident.

Maybe a good time to note...

When telling a child about their pre-adoption situation, many Parents may not tell the whole truth. That is not to say they set out to lie or decieve, but simply,

that as parents its their job to protect and care for you and your feelings. No parent want their child to hurt, so maybe will not tell of things that they think

will hurt or cause you distress. Dont think any the less of them for this - its because they love you.

Tracing Birth relatives- sources

Whatever form of trying to trace your birth family you choose to use, its a good idea to register your 'desire to know' in the appropriate place ie places where

Birth families might also look for you.

There are various places that can help you by registering your interest, the GRO adoption contact register possibly being the best.

This is a two part system,part A for the adoptee to register their interest, and part B for a birth family to register theirs.

Adopted children register

Created in 1991, the Adoption Contact Register exists to put adopted people and their birth relatives in touch with each other if that is what they both wish.

The Contact Register cannot help an adopted person to learn of the whereabouts of a birth relative or to know their birth relative’s wishes unless the relative

has also chosen to be entered on the Contact Register.

From 30 December 2005 applicants can record a wish for specific or no contact with a named individual.

The Adoption Contact Register is in two parts and there is a one-off registration fee per entry of £15 for Part 1 and £30 for Part 2.

Part 1 of the Contact Register is for adopted adults to record their wishes for contact or no contact with birth relatives. .

Part 2 of the Contact Register is for birth relatives to record their wishes for contact or no contact with the adopted person. To apply birth relatives must

satisfy the General Register Office of their relationship to the adopted person.

NORCAP offers adults affected by adoption practical help and support to locate and make contact with relatives lost through adoption.

Membership is available through their website: NORCAP:Supporting Adults Affected by Adoption

first year subscription including a registration fee of £50

My Folks Website

A site to search and place messages

to find family and friends in the UK

Debby and Joan joined hands to create this website and offer you our combined abilities to assist and help complete your search. We offer an intermediary

service and provide 100% support throughout. You can rest in the knowledge you are in the safe hands of two successful and experienced researchers.

Joan and Debbie offer a telephone service too -

Joan -Tel: 01454 615031 up to midnight.

Debby - Tel: 0870 991 3769 Evenings/weekends

They'll not only help and advise you in your search, they'll laugh and cry with you too.

they do make a charge for their services ( although not just for talking and advising), which can be quite costly , Joan advises that this can amount to

around £200

Some Useful Addresses

Office of National Statistics (ONS)

Adopted Children Register (and/or) Adoption Contact Register

Smedley Hydro

Trafalgar Road

Southport

Merseyside

PR8 2HH

Tel:01514 714 313

The General Register Office (Northern Ireland)

Oxford House

49-55 Chichester Street

Belfast

BY1 4HL

The General Register Office (Republic of Ireland)

8 - 11 Lombard Street

Dublin 2

The General Register Office (Scotland)

Adoption Unit

New Register House

Edinburgh

EH1 3YT

National Organisation for the Counselling of Adoptees and Parents (Norcap)

112 Church Road

Wheatley

Oxfordshire

OX33 1LU

Tel:01865 875 000

Post Adoption Centre

8 Torriano Mews

Torriano Avenue

London

NW5 2RZ

Tel:020 7284 0555

Public Search Rooms

Family Record Office

1 Myddleton Street

London

EC1 1UW

Tel:01704 569 824

Area /Organisation specific contact points

waiting on info

Birth parents/siblings - searching for those they gave for adoption

still to do.....

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