Family - searching for a birth parent or relative

Updated December 2006

This script gives information on how to set about searching for a birth parent or a relative. There's also information for birth mothers wanting to trace an adult child adopted as a baby.

The law on adoption searches changed in 2005. Birth relatives may now request an intermediary service to locate and contact an adopted adult child to find out if they are willing to communicate with the birth relative. This must be done through an intermediary agency and no adopted person need be afraid that they will have to face unwelcome contact with any member of their birth family. Information will only be released if the adopted person agrees. If consent is not forthcoming the birth relative will not be given any information.

The intermediary agency Adults Affected by Adoption - NORCAP provide help and support to adults searching for relatives lost through adoption. Their Contact Register currently holds over 60,000 records and has resulted in over 1,000 links. NORCAP offers a skilled intermediary service to help bring about successful reunions, as well as emotional support during the search and reunion process. All members of the adoption triangle, that's adopted people, birth relatives and adoptive relatives are welcome to join. For details call 01865 875000 or visit their website at www.norcap.org.uk.

When starting a search for someone obtaining certain documents will make your efforts easier. For information on how to obtain birth, marriage or death certificates in England and Wales contact the Family Records Centre on local rate 0845 603 7788 and listen to the message. The official source for family records on-line is at www.familyrecords.gov.uk/frc.

In Scotland you should call The General Register for Scotland on 0131 334 0380 (Mondays - Thursdays 8.30am-5pm, Fridays 8.30am-4.30pm) and their web address is www.gro-scotland.gov.uk.

If you're searching for someone separated through adoption, whether it's a parent, child or other family member, you can get further information from the Adoption Contact Register. For England and Wales, phone 0151 471 4830 (Mondays - Fridays 9am-5pm) or check out their website, which contains a lot of information for people who have been adopted, at www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/adoptions.

For Scotland call Birth Link on 0131 225 6441 or log on to www.birthlink.org.uk.

For the Northern Ireland adoption register and for information on birth certificates phone The General Register Office for Northern Ireland on 028 9025 2000 (Monday - Friday 9.30am-4pm) or visit www.groni.gov.uk.

If you were adopted in the UK the BAAF will be able to give you information about tracing your birth family. They have a one-stop shop website for people wanting to start the search process. Go to www.adoptionsearchreunion.org.uk. The BAAF are available on 0207 421 2600 (Monday - Friday 9am-5pm) or visit their main website at www.baaf.org.uk.

You may be searching for a relative you've lost contact with. The Salvation Army, the oldest and largest search organisation in the world, run a national and international family tracing service. Enquiries are undertaken to locate close adult relatives for the purpose of bringing families back together. They do not undertake enquiries in circumstances where adoption has taken place, nor where a birth occurred outside of marriage. Phone them on local rate number 0845 634 4747 (Monday - Friday 8.15am-3.45pm) or email family.tracing@salvationarmy.org.uk. There is a small tracing fee which covers a little of the expenses of a search. The Salvation Army is one of the partners contributing to a gateway website of organisations for tracing people. Others include British Red Cross and International Social Services. You'll find them at www.look4them.org.

If you're concerned about someone who is missing, rather than someone you can't trace, The National Missing Persons Helpline is dedicated to advising missing people, their families and those who care for them. Free helpline 0500 700 700 (open 24 hours a day every day). You can also check out their website at www.missingpersons.org.

This message has been prepared and is updated regularly by New Media at Channel 4.

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