How to Help Adopted Persons Find Their Background

Adopted people often wonder about their background and birth family. Helping an adopted friend or relative find information about her history is a challenging but rewarding task. There are a range of processes available to persons seeking family history, depending on the information that the adopted person seeks to find. Some information is readily available, while other may require a court petition. It is important to talk to the adopted person before beginning the process to learn which background information they want to find.

• 1

  Ensure the adopted person wants to find out about her background. Not all adopted people have the desire to find out about their background and birth family. Talk to the adopted persons about what information they want to uncover. They may want to learn about where they were born, what their parents looked like, if they have any siblings, about family medical history or they may want to try and contact a birth parent. Knowing what information the adopted person wants to obtain makes the search process easier.

• 2

  Talk to the adoptive parents. Have the adopted person talk to his adoptive parents about the adoption. Gather information about any agencies or lawyers that helped with the adoption process, where the adoption took place and any related paperwork that the adoptive parents might have, such as a birth certificate or medical records.

• 3

  Learn about the local adoption laws. Each state has its own laws regarding who is able to access adoption records. Most states allow adopted people to request non-identifying information, such as a general physical description of the birth parents and the reason the person was placed for adoption, after they turn 18, notes the Child Welfare Information Gateway. While requesting non-identifying information often just requires a letter of request, certain states have more requirements that must be met before the information is released.

• 4

  Encourage the adopted person to join a reunion registry to help locate a birth parent or relative. Reunion registries are either passive, requiring both a birth parent and the adopted child to join before information is released, or active, where the registry attempts to contact a birth relative upon request. Passive registries are typically free, while most active registries charge a fee for their searching services. Registries are available for both domestic and international adoptions and some states provide registry services for adopted children born in the state.

• 5

  Petition the court for any sealed adoption records. After completing the above steps, talk to the adopted person about the possibility of requesting sealed adoption records. Most states seal domestic adoptions records and allow adopted people to petition the court for the information found in the records. Petitioning the court for adoption records is not always successful and often depends on the location of the adoption and the judge's preference, notes the Child Welfare Information Gateway.