3.15.3 Access to Birth Records and Birth Relative Initiated Contact

Access to Birth Records
Once a Letter is Received From ONS
First Interview
Second Interview
When Records Arrive
Third Interview
Subsequent Interviews
Flowchart - Access to Adoption Records for Adopted Adults

1. Access to Birth Records

All requests by adopted persons for access to birth records to be referred to Richmond Adoption Team (Adoption Support Worker).

Ensure that the applicant is over the age of 18 years.

Advise the adopted person to write for application form (Form CA8) from:

Adoptions Section
Room C201
General Register Office
Trafalgar Road
Southport
PR8 2HH

(NB Leaflets are available in the Adoption Team)

The applicant can choose where s/he wishes to be interviewed:

the General Register Office
the local authority in whose area s/he lives
the local authority for the area where the adoption order was made
the adoption society that arranged the adoption

The applicant must complete the Form CA8 and return it to Office of National Statistics (ONS).

2. Once a Letter is Received From ONS

At the point the adoption service receives notification from ONS, the person seeking access to their birth records will also be notified that the information has been sent to The Adoption Service

The information received from ONS will include the following:

Copy of original application form
A partially completed form of application for a full birth certificate showing the adopted person's particulars at birth (CA5)
An information sheet which provides the details necessary to apply for the name of the adoption society or local authority from the court which granted the order
An Adoption Contact Register information booklet with application form and covering letter
A form on which to report the result of the interview to return to ONS regarding outcomes.

Once case is allocated, allocated adoption support social worker should do the following:

Wait until the applicant contacts the adoption team advising that he/she has received information from ONS and wishes to make an appointment
Arrange time for interview, and ask applicant to come to the office although, on rare occasions it may be appropriate to do a home visit
Explain to applicant that there is likely to be very little available information at this stage. Many people assume the social worker has their original birth certificate and their records. Explain that the first meeting is to look at the process and what will happen
Ask him/her to bring proof of identity to interview - photographic and proof of address.

3. First Interview

Most people arrive for the first interview nervous and apprehensive. Many bring a partner or friend with them. The purpose of the first meeting is to learn something about them, to give information received from ONS and to have some idea of what will happen next. A suggested programme for this interview is:

Ask applicant for proof of identity
Invite the applicant to talk about his/her adoption
- How were they told about being adopted?
- Do their adoptive parents know about this application?
- What information do they have already?
Share with the applicant what information there is on the birth certificate application form. (CA5) This gives them their name at birth, where their birth was registered and when, and their birth mother's name. If a birth father was named on the certificate a notification with the other forms would have been received. It is important to remember that the applicant may not have known his/her birth name, will probably not have known their birth mother's name and may not know where s/he was born. The fact they may have had a different first name also can be very distressing, and may make them consider identity issues. The applicant will need to be given space to explore this information.
The applicant must be given the CA5 which s/he should complete and then send off to the address on the form with the required fee to obtain a copy of their original birth certificate.

Most people want to know what additional information will be on the birth certificate. It will show:
- Address birth mother gave when the child was born. (Remember that this may not be a home address and that it could be a temporary address)
- Mother's stated profession.
- Mother's maiden name (if married).
If the applicant wishes to obtain more information. A letter should be written and sent to the court where the adoption order was made to give the name of adoption agency (if any) involved. The up to date address of the court will need to be checked. Many adoption agencies from the 1950s, 60s and 70s have closed down, but there is a directory available on line through BAAF search and reunion website indicating where records are stored.
The applicant should be given the leaflet regarding the national Contact Register and the letter addressed to the applicant. An explanation of how the Register works and the cost (currently £15 for adoptees and £30 for birth relatives) should be given.
There needs to be some discussion on what can and might happen.

The following guidelines may be of assistance:
- The process is slow because the applicant needs to absorb each piece of information.
- There may be no information. Records prior to 1975 may have been lost and will certainly not be as thorough as the ones compiled now.
- Start getting applicant to look at where s/he wants to take the search.
  
  Remind them that a search may not be successful, perhaps the birth parent is dead, perhaps the birth mother has married and husband knows nothing of this child, etc. Have some discussion of inadvisability of turning up on someone's doorstep. Although Adoption Services cannot do the search; they can advise and act as the third party.
Look at the "snowballing" effect that happens to most adoptees: the more information they have, the more they want.
At the end of the interview the applicant should be given form CA5 and advised that, when they have their birth certificate, they may wish to make contact again.
A record of the interview should be made and any important points noted.
The statistical form should be sent back to ONS in envelope provided.
Discuss the option of placing a veto on their file and what this means.

4. Second Interview

Sometimes people want to be seen when they get their birth certificate and the reply from the court has been received.

The applicant may be anxious to begin the search based on information on the birth certificate but should be encouraged to wait until more is known of the 'story', if there are records. This may give a clearer picture of the circumstances and indicate who was privy to the information when the adoption took place.

After the interview, a letter should be sent to the adoption agency involved; requesting records (see AS3 sample letter). It is important to explain to the applicant that there may be a delay as some agencies take several weeks or months to respond because of the high volume of requests they are dealing with.

Explore any issues that have come up, how the adoptee is feeling, whether they have had any further thoughts about the process, etc.

Arrange to make contact with the applicant when the reply from the adoption agency is received. Again they need to be reminded that there may be no records.

5. When Records Arrive

When the records arrive, it is important to go through them thoroughly. There should be information on some of the following:

Place, date, time of birth
Any medical issues
Name and date of birth of birth mother
Description of birth mother, qualifications, interests, etc.
Details of birth father, if any
Reasons for placement for adoption
Any other significant family members
Where the child was placed prior to being placed with adoptive parents
Other relevant information

The agency may have also included a typed report recording that the information provided has been taken from the records held by (name of adoption agency)

NB: Adoption agencies will stipulate what can and cannot be given.

As soon as the applicant knows the records are available, they will want to arrange an appointment. The adoption support worker should only make contact when they know they can offer a prompt appointment. Information must not be given over the phone.

6. Third Interview

The applicant may be nervous and will need time to digest information.

The applicant should be given the report and information to read, and given help to understand aspects if necessary, but generally they should be left quietly to take in the information.

The 'story' they may be reading may not be the same as the one they have grown up with or they may not have been told anything. There may be a number of surprises including :

Evidence of other children placed for adoption
Evidence of other children not placed for adoption
Birth mother older than expected.
Birth parents married but still placing child for adoption.

If the adoption happened in the 1950s or 60s, the applicant needs to understand the lack of resources for single mothers at the time and the general acceptance that a single mother placing her child for adoption with a stable couple was doing the right thing. Little counselling was given and sometimes the reasons given on the form are subjective and judgemental.

It is important to help the applicant understand what life was like then for a single pregnant woman.

If there are letters from the birth mother that can be shared, these will often provoke a lot of emotion.

Generally people need to go over the information several times as they begin to understand it. Each time they read it more questions will appear. They should be encouraged to take the information away and reflect on it. If it seems they have not taken in a piece of information, their attention should be drawn to it and they should be encouraged to discuss it.

Most people will want to know what they can do next, although some will want to go away and think about it. The search is their responsibility and the social worker needs to explain that their role is to advise and then be an intermediary if they locate a birth relative. It is essential to talk about the risks of turning up on people's doorsteps and the need to be cautious must be stressed.

A good starting point for a search is Find my past where all records of births, marriages and deaths for England and Wales can be accessed. There is also a useful NORCAP booklet about tracing.

There should be some indication in the records about which members of the birth family knew about the adoption and this may help in terms of how to conduct the search.

7. Subsequent Interviews

Many people make contact at different points in their search; although some may be satisfied with the information they have been given. If the social worker is asked to make contact with a birth relative, the following may assist:

It is advisable to see the applicant to check their findings. In their eagerness to find someone, applicants can sometimes make mistakes.
Possible outcomes should be discussed as well as how they might react to each other.

It is important to verify the contact details of any birth relative you wish to make contact with. If the adoption support worker agrees to write a letter, it is important to discuss how the applicant wants you to deal with any responses. Normally the worker will write to a birth relative twice on the applicant's behalf but, if there is no reply, they should not make further contact.

Letters should not be sent out unless the worker knows they will be in the office when the letter is received as sometimes the response is rapid and the person concerned will be anxious.

At this interview time should be allowed for the applicant to explore issues and reflect on possible outcomes. The applicant may be excited and anxious to make contact, but they also need to look at a range of possible outcomes and how they might feel.

If the person to whom the worker has written makes contact, the worker needs to establish that they are the right person without divulging information about the adoptee. Once this has been established the worker will need to help the respondent to take in the information and to establish what they want to happen.

In order not to breach anyone's confidentiality, it is crucial to take clear instructions from both sides as to what information can be shared. Having established this, the worker can contact the adoptee to let him/her know the outcome of the contact and discuss what will happen next.

8. Flowchart - Access to Adoption Records for Adopted Adults

Click here to view Flowchart.

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