Can you provide me with emotional support?

If you are considering trying to trace your birth family then we strongly recommend that you attend a counselling and advice session with one of our specialist post adoption social workers. If you were adopted before 12 November 1975 then you will be required to do this in order to obtain a copy of your birth certificate or adoption records. This is because at the time of the adoption, your birth and adoptive parents may have been informed that you would never be able to contact them. It is therefore important that you consider the best way to approach your birth family if you find them, and understand the consequences that your actions could have for them.

If you were adopted after 11 November 1975 then you can choose whether or not to meet with a post adoption social worker. We strongly advise that you do both for practical and emotional reasons, as they will provide a wealth of advice and information on the tracing process as well as an opportunity to talk through your feelings. Once you have found a birth relative, you will need to think very carefully about how to approach them. The social worker will discuss different strategies with you and will be happy to act as an intermediary and contact them on your behalf.

Links and Further Reading