[thesearchguru]

Welcome to the Search and Reunion Message Board!

NOTE: Delaware is an “open records” state and adoptees can request a copy of their original birth certificate with the names of the birthparents.

Office to contact for questions about access to adoption related information and records:
Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families
1825 Faulkland Road
Wilmington, DE 19805-1195
(302) 633-2655
Fax: (302) 633-2652

Requesting Non-Identifying Information: Non-identifying information is available to adoptive parents, adopted adults, and birth parents.

Requesting Identifying Information: Identifying information will be released with the consent of all parties involved when it is deemed by the agency to be in the adopted adult's best interest or by court order. If there is a medical report that the adopted adult, birth parents, or birth siblings have a genetically transmitted disorder or a family pattern of disease, the agency shall search for the other parties to inform them of the report. An adopted adult age 21 or older who has obtained a copy of his or her original birth certificate may request that a licensed adoption agency assist in locating his or her birth parents, birth siblings, or siblings of the birth parents if the birth parents are deceased.

Requesting an Original Birth Certificate: An adopted adult age 21 or older can obtain his or her original birth certificate, if, within the previous 3 years, the birth parents have not filed a written notarized statement with the Department of Health and Social Services Office of Vital Statistics denying the release of identifying information.




Other great websites to check out:
Adoption.com Forums
Adoption Lists - Photolistings, Support Groups, Mailing Lists - Agency, Exchange, Failed, Feel, Find
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

[Elaine26]

To anyone who is looking in Delaware search records:

I first posted on adoption.com about a month ago, at that time I also provided my information to Omni-Trace in an effort to solicit a private investigation firm to assist me with my search. Upon getting in contact with me the representative I spoke with told me that Delaware is a "sealed" state and that I would probably not have much luck on my own without their help, as they had already handled plenty of Delaware searches. Obviously after reading the post from the searchguru above, you can see that Delaware is an open records state and I would have easily been able to request my own records without paying Omni Trace close to $2,000!!!!! Whether this was intentional misrepresentation or simply lack of knowledge on the representatives part, it was very discouraging. Long story short, don't take anyone's word for it during your search, find out for yourself. You may save yourself lots of money. There are alot of companies and people out there trying to take advantage of you and to make money off of you, don't always automatically trust just because you are frustrated with your search.