My child or a child related to me was adopted

If anyone from your family has ever been adopted then this page will give you information and advice on tracing them. If you wish, we can put you in touch with a specialist post adoption social worker to discuss your feelings.

It is often difficult to find a relative who was adopted because you do not legally have the right to obtain information about them or their adoptive family. However, most adopted people decide to look for their birth relatives at some point in their lives and there are ways of reassuring them that contact would be welcome if they ever decided to look for you.

The Adoption Contact Register and NORCAP aim to reunite adoptees and birth parents who want to get in touch. They work by enabling anyone involved in adoption to register their interest in finding their birth relatives. If you and your adopted relative both register then the Register will inform each of you that the other has registered. Although you will not be given any information about them, they will be given your name and address and can choose whether to get in touch. If you aren't ready for them to receive your home address, you can provide the details of a third party such as a friend or employer.

You can join and pay online at the Adoption Contact Register or print an application form to send through the post. You can download a form from NORCAP. Registration costs just £10.

Links and Further Reading