[thesearchguru]

Welcome to the Search and Reunion Message Board:

For those people whose adoptions were facilitated by Bethany Christian Services you might want to contact them to find out what post-adoption services are available through their agency.

Bethany Christian Services
Phone number: 1-800 BETHANY

For adoptees requesting “non-identifying information” about birth parents here are some questions that you might ask:

A. Ages of birth parents at the time of relinquishment
B. Marital status of birth parents
C. Other siblings born before the adoptee
D. Physical description of birth parents
E. Ethnicity of birth parents
F. Occupation of birth parents
G. Education of birth parents
H. Information about aunts, uncles and grandparents
I. Reason for relinquishment

For birth parents requesting “non-identifying information” about the adopting family:

A. Ages of adopting parents at the time of adoption
B. Other children in the adoptive family, biological and adopted
C. Physical description, ethnicity, occupations and education of adopting parents
D. Confirm date of birth of relinquished child

Both adoptees and birth parents should ask:

A. If Bethany maintains a “registry” where you can submit the information about the birth, relinquishment and adoption information.
B. If Bethany provides a “Waiver for Consent to Contact Form” for both parties.
C. If Bethany provides a “Confidential Intermediary” search service to locate the birth relative that you are looking for.

Note: I have been told that Bethany does maintain a "registry". As of 1999 it was $25 to register your information and to have them look to see if the Birth Parent/Child had filed their information. Part of the registration process is to sign a consent to release information form. Bethany also provides the confidential intermediary services for a fee of $250 as of 1999.



Other great websites to check out:
Adoption.com Forums
Adoption.com - Information on International, Domestic, Child & Agency Adoptions, Stories, Laws -
Adopting - Adopt a Baby, Child, Infants, Kids, Older, Services, International, Information China -
Adoption Registry - Records, Reunion Registries, Adoptees, Search Reunite

[funkypost]

Originally Posted by thesearchguru

Welcome to the Search and Reunion Message Board:

For those people whose adoptions were facilitated by Bethany Christian Services you might want to contact them to find out what post-adoption services are available through their agency.

Bethany Christian Services
Phone number: 1-800 BETHANY

For adoptees requesting “non-identifying information” about birth parents here are some questions that you might ask:

A. Ages of birth parents at the time of relinquishment
B. Marital status of birth parents
C. Other siblings born before the adoptee
D. Physical description of birth parents
E. Ethnicity of birth parents
F. Occupation of birth parents
G. Education of birth parents
H. Information about aunts, uncles and grandparents
I. Reason for relinquishment

For birth parents requesting “non-identifying information” about the adopting family:

A. Ages of adopting parents at the time of adoption
B. Other children in the adoptive family, biological and adopted
C. Physical description, ethnicity, occupations and education of adopting parents
D. Confirm date of birth of relinquished child

Both adoptees and birth parents should ask:

A. If Bethany maintains a “registry” where you can submit the information about the birth, relinquishment and adoption information.
B. If Bethany provides a “Waiver for Consent to Contact Form” for both parties.
C. If Bethany provides a “Confidential Intermediary” search service to locate the birth relative that you are looking for.

Note: I have been told that Bethany does maintain a "registry". As of 1999 it was $25 to register your information and to have them look to see if the Birth Parent/Child had filed their information. Part of the registration process is to sign a consent to release information form. Bethany also provides the confidential intermediary services for a fee of $250 as of 1999.



Many blessings on your search journey,
Colleen Buckner, THE SEARCH GURU
Moderator for Search and Reunion Message Board
http://www.adoptionsearchcalifornia.com/

Other great websites to check out:
http://www.adoptionchat.com
http://www.adoption.com
http://www.adopting.org
http://registry.adoption.com/

I find those fees almost barbaric in nature. The $250 fee seems exorbitant in this day and age of cheap technology (PC's, Data bases and infrastructure).

[dl]

funkypost ~ The fee for the "cheap technology (PC's, Data bases and infrastructure)" ~ is only $25.00 which registers one on their data base. The $250 fee is for the services of a confidential intermediary.

The person that acted as a confidential intermediary in my situation (and the agency that handled my adoption and provided this service charged more than $250) was a licensed social worker. In addition to making the initial contact with my biological family, she was a supportive helpful person to both my biological family and myself. Her services were well worth the fee, IMO.