[Archive]

I have traced my roots in the last year-we have one half sister to
find.I have just found out I was named after her as she had just been
adopted when I was born!
Her details are: Janet Alison Davies dob 12.4.1949 Adoption finalised @
Croydon Court Surrey England. She was adopted in 1954 at 5 years old.All I
need is her adopted surname.
How can I get it? Her adoption file is at Adoption Permanance Unit Brighton
Road Purley but they cannot tell me any info. Any ideas?

[Archive]

Originally Posted By Damsel Plum

Hi there,

While adoptees themselves can access their adoption files and original birth certificates upon reaching legal adulthood, I'm not sure about birthfamily. I've put out an inquiry about it and will hopefully get back with more details soon.

There are "official" methods in the UK for re-uniting children with birth parents, and if you have not yet visited your local Social Services department, you should - they may be able to help.

In the meantime you may be able to find the answer yourself by browsing through the following websites.

http://www.missing-you.net/adoption.htm

U.K. Government Information Services
http://www.open.gov.uk/

More later,

Damsel

I will try to get back to you with a more conclusive answer regarding birthfamily search in England.

[Archive]

Originally Posted By Damsel Plum

INFORMATION re ACCESS TO ADOPTION RECORDS in U.K.
ENGLAND AND WALES

Information taken from Office for National Statistics, pamphlets ACR99, 100, 110

Adoption certificates are issued by the GRO after an Adoption has been recorded in the Adopted Children Register. They replace any certificates of the original birth record and should be used for all legal purposes.

The SHORT version: Surname, First name, DOB, Sex and (where known) country or district of birth., It contains no reference to the fact of adoption.

The FULL certificate: : Surname, First name, DOB, Sex and Place of Birth (where known), Adoptive Parent(s') name(s), their address and occupation at time of adoption, date of adoption, order and description of the court which made it; date of entry into the ACR (Adopted Children's Registry.)

Applying for certificates:

Certificate of birth provides the following information. Date and place of Birth, name under which you were originally registered, your mother's name and perhaps her occupation, name and address of person who registered the birth, date of registration, name of registrar. It may or may not give father's name and occupation. If a child's parents are not married to each other, the father's name is not always on the birth certificate. Obtain form through: Office for National Statistics, General Register Office, Adoptions Section, Trafalgar Rd., Southport PR8 2HH Telephone 0151 471 4313
Applications are normally processed within 5 working days.
If adoption took place in Scotland: The Registrar General, New Register House,
Edinburgh, EH1 3YT
If adoption took place in Northern Ireland: The Registrar General, Oxford House,
49/55 Chichester St., Belfast, BT1 4HL

Personal Applications :

Public Search Room, ONS, St. Catherine's House, 10 Kingsway, London, WC2B 6JP
The Indexes to the Adopted Children Register are available for consultation at the above address. Priority applications - extra fee - processed within one day.

Access to Original Birth Records:

If adopted before 12 Nov. 1975 there is a statutory obligation to attend an interview with an Adoption Counsellor before information about original birth records can be obtained.

The counsellor will tell you: your original name, the name of your birth mother, possibly the name of your birth father, the name of the court where the order was made. They will not have a copy of your original birth record at the interview but will give you the necessary application form. (fee)
If adopted after this date there is a choice between either attending an interview or having the information to enable them to obtain a record of their birth forwarded direct.

To get a form: Office For National Statistics, The General Register Office, Adoptions Section, Smedley Hydro, Trafalgar Road, Birkdale, Southport, PR8 2HH

Adopted people living outside the U.K.

May apply - it might be possible to arrange an interview with an Adoption Counsellor in an overseas country.

Adoption Contact Register:

You must be 18 years to apply or related to an adopted person. It is necessary to prove relationship to the adopted person. (birth parents, brothers and sisters and any other person related by blood, half-blood or marriage. It does not include adopted relatives. If relatives prefer not to use their own address, they may choose to register the address of an intermediary through which contact may be made.

If a link is made, the adopted person will be given the name and address of their relative, or that of the relative's intermediary, as appropriate. The relative, or their intermediary, will be informed that their particulars have been passed to the adopted person.

The purpose of the ACR is to put adopted people and their birth parents or other relatives in touch with each other where this is what they both want. Birth parents and other relatives who have decided that they would prefer not to have contact with an adopted person need have no fear that the introduction of the Register will put them at greater risk of an unwanted approach. The Register cannot help an adopted person learn of the whereabouts of a birth parent or other relative unless that person has chosen to be entered ont he Register.

The introduction of the Register, cannot, of course, prevent an adopted person from trying to find a birth parent, just as an adopted person can do at present, even though that birth parent has not applied for entry on the register.

Contact may have different meanings for different people using the Register. Contact may assumed by one person to be an open invitation to visit. Another person may see contact as an exchange of information, possibly through a third party and not including any meetings. Between these two extremes there can be many variations. You should be prepared for the possibility that the expectations of the adopted person and the relative may differ.

The Registrar General cannot pass letters or any information between adopted people and their relatives, beyond a name and a address. However, some relatives may prefer initial contact to be limited to exchanges of letters or information. If this applies to you, you may ask the Registrar General to register you under the address of an organization which will act as an intermediary between you and the adopted person.

When you are entered on the Register, it may be discovered that a relative has already registered. If this happens you will be sent the name and address supplied and a note of his or her relation to you. If no relative has registered you will only receive an acknowledgment of your registration. However, you will be sent details of any relative who subsequently registers. This may happen quite soon or it could be many years later, or may not happen at all. It is therefore most important that you keep the Registrar General informed of any change of name or address.

Request for ACR 105. For people adopted in Scotland contact Birth Link, Family Care, 21 Castle St. Edinburgh, EH2 3DN

[Archive]

Originally Posted By Damsel Plum

Best place to start is NORCAP - they can provide intermediary (not gov't-type) aid for a birthfamily in search -- they can be contacted at

National Org. for Counselling Adoptees & Parents (NORCAP), 112 Church Road,
Wheatley, Oxfordshire, OX33
1LU England
Tel. 01865 875000.

They provide services to ALL members of the triad. The birthfamily should also post a letter immediately to the placing agency with signed consent for contact form and asking for any and all non-identifying info.

Also, check out Paul Ormsby's UK site at
http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/adopt/Srch.html

Thanks to Mari Steed for these tips.

Damsel Plum