Support for birth parents and relatives

This section is for you if:

• You are pregnant and considering having your baby adopted
• Your child has been taken away from you and Social Services plans to have them adopted
• Your child or a relative was adopted in the past

In recent years, the role of birth parents both before and after adoption has changed enormously. Previously, adoption was seen as a 'fresh start' for children and all links with the birth family were cut. Birth parents were told to forget about their baby and the child was strongly discouraged from expressing curiosity about their origins. However, this caused a variety of problems because the child grew up with an incomplete sense of identity, wondering where they came from and why their parents gave them up. Birth parents were unable to forget about their lost children and worried about whether they were still alive.

Nowadays adoption is much more open and the role of the birth parents is increasingly recognised. We believe that birth parents are vitally important to every stage of adoption and will support you every step of the way. You will have a say in the type of family your child is placed with. If appropriate, we will help you stay in contact with your child's adoptive parents after the adoption so you can keep up to date with their progress.

Even if your child cannot live with you, you can remain an important part of their life and they will grow up knowing about the family they came from. If a child related to you was adopted and is now grown up then we can help you register that you are willing for them to contact you.

Plymouth Family Support Services is an independent local charity offering a variety of support to birth relatives including counselling, helping you with paperwork and running support groups where you can meet people in the same situation as you.