Support with finding birth records and family members
All adopted people have the right to their birth information from the age of 18. Some people simply want a copy of their records, others may wish to reunite with their relatives. We are here to support you in your decision making and the tracing process.
It is our statutory duty to provide you with your birth records free of charge. Our agencies and partners will also be able to support you in connecting with a birth family member. This service may vary by agency and there maybe be a wait time due to demand.
There are also lots of organisations across the UK who can help in your search. We have listed several of these below.
If you are using a service not listed to trace or connect with birth information or relative, we advise making sure the service you choose is registered with Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) or Ofsted in England.
Be aware some organisations may charge for their services.
Adoption Search and Reunion is the first port of call for anyone thinking about tracing or contacting birth and adopted relatives or retracing an adoption that took place in the UK.
Our collaborative of regional, voluntary and charitable adoption services offers a range of services to support adopted adults and birth relatives in finding records and relatives.
Details of all adoptions in England and Wales are kept by the General Register Office (GRO).
The GRO operates the national Adoption Contact Register, which allows adopted people and birth parents of adopted people to register their details and state whether or not they wish to be contacted by others.
There is a cost to be added to the register. This is £15 for adopted adults or £30 for birth family members.
Please note that the contact register is only able to make connections between those people who have chosen to place their details on that register and have registered their willingness to have contact. There is no tracing or intermediary service associated with it.
FamilyConnect can help find answers to questions about your origins and how to go about accessing a service to reconnect.
This is the only such agency based in Wales and able to offer a service through the medium of Welsh. It offers an access to birth records, tracing and intermediary services.
Adoption support services for adopted people, birth relatives of adopted people and descendants of those adopted before 30th December 2005.
An adoption support charity, Father Hudson’s Care also offers tracing and intermediary services.
A range of services to adopted adults and birth relatives, including access to birth records, counselling, tracing and intermediary services.
Operating UK wide, PAC-UK has a specialist service which provides support for adults adopted as children, and for adults otherwise permanently placed as children. This includes access to adoption records, tracing, intermediary services and counselling.
While unable to assist with access to birth records, tracing or provide intermediary services. CASA has a directory of organisations who can provide emotional support to adopted people and birth relatives going the tracing process.
Your legal rights
Under UK law, people who have been adopted can obtain a copy of their original birth certificate and information from their birth records any time after their 18th birthday. These records are stored securely for at least 100 years.
If you already know your basic birth details, you can contact the General Register Office (GRO) to obtain a copy of your original birth certificate here.
If you don’t know those basic details, you will need to fill in an application form to obtain them via the link above. Alternatively, you can email adoptions@gro.gov.uk or phone 0300 123 1837.
Most of the detailed information about the circumstances surrounding adoptions will have been recorded in the case files of the agency that placed a child with their adoptive parents.
These records are held by or can be accessed by your local adoption agency.
The GRO will ask you to nominate an adoption agency to assist you in accessing your records. This will usually be the adoption agency in your locality, even if your records are held elsewhere.
If your adoption order was made before 12th November 1975, there is a legal requirement for an adoption social worker to meet you before you can access your records.
If you were adopted after that date, you don’t have to speak to an adoption social worker, but it is likely to be very helpful to do so. An adoption social worker can advise and support you with understanding the information and putting it in its historical context. They can also discuss what options there are if you wish to enquire further or seek reunion and therefore requires tracing and an intermediary service.
