[JulieSA]

Can anyone give me info re the time which the adoption process used to take in Scotland.

I was born on Sept 11 1971

My birth was registered (by my bmum) on 23rd Sept 71

My adoption order was issues on 24th March 1972, and registered on 7th April 1972

Why is there a 12 day period between my birth and the registration? Does that mean that I was with my birthmum for those 12 days?

I also have issues with deep feelings of anxiety and loss. Did I spend time in care before going to my adoptive family? Did I bond with my bmum and then get taken away from her?

I am only now beginning to understand the bonding process, although I have always been aware of a "distance" between me and my amum.

My amum and I don't have the type of relationship where we can talk about these things... she always gave me the impression that I was with them when I was VERY small, but when my own daughter was around 8 weeks old she slipped that "it's a lovely age - this is the age you were when we got you"

[Robin Harritt]

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Hi Julia

There's no such thing as a UK adoption, the UK is four different countries that like the states in the USA, have their own adoption laws and statutes.

It's Scottish adoption you need to ask about, I could give you a fairly comprehensive answer if it were England & Wales, but I don't know much about Scottish adoptions at that time.

In England I know you have up to 40 days to register a birth though it's usually done sooner than that, sometimes the registrar used to visit the hospital and it was done there.

In England a child could not be placed with adoptive parents before they were 6 weeks old and I believe there had to be a period with the adoptive parents before the adoption order could be granted, meaning most adoptions were finalised when the child was 5 or 6 months. But as I say that is England, Scotland might have been quite different.

Robin

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