Adoption reunion registry
Encyclopedia
An adoption reunion registry is a formal mechanism where adoptees and their birth family members can be reunited. Registries may be free or charge fees, be facilitated by non-profit organizations, government agencies or private businesses.
Generally, such adoption
registries exist only in countries which practiced closed adoption
, i.e. adoption in which the full identities of the birth parents, birth family members and the adopting family are not readily disclosed.
Some reunion registries are based on mutual consent and do matches from the information provided by the registrants. Others, run by governmental agencies, have access to the original documents identifying a birth family or adopting family. This is a form of adoption disclosure
. In general, adoptees must be adults before they may be given identifying information, or at least age 18. In the United States
, state law governs whether such an institution may release this identifying information to the interested party. Some states have an adoption registry, in which both the adopted adult and birthparent must register before information will be provided. In other states, if the adoptee requests information, the organization will contact the birth parent and request consent for a reunion.
In Canada
, adult adoptees from British Columbia
, Newfoundland
, and Ontario
generally have access to their own birth and adoption information provided no disclosure veto has been filed. In other provinces/territories, limited access to information is allowed; all jurisdictions have some form of reunion register.
In the United Kingdom
, adoption law has been amended to allow for open adoption
s, the right to access one's records, and a state-run adoption reunion registry has been established.
Though many such registries are operated by government agencies, many private registries do exist, and can be found on the Web. These tend to be owned and/or managed by members of the adoption community and are generally more successful than government-run registries. The largest such organization is the International Soundex Reunion Registry, Inc., (ISRR) founded in 1975.
A problem generally with state-run registries has been the lack of publicity surrounding them. In contrast, in April 2005, the state-run National Adoption Contact Preference Registerhttp://www.dadpeter.co.uk/forum was launched in Ireland
with a national radio and newspaper advertising campaign, and included an application form for the registry being delivered to every household. The Irish registry allows a person using it to specify whether or not they want contact and/or reunion, what form that contact should take (e.g., letter, phone, e-mail), and, if they do not want contact at the time being, still allows for the passing of medical and/or background information to the other party.
Generally, such adoption
Adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
registries exist only in countries which practiced closed adoption
Closed adoption
Closed adoption is the process by where an infant is adopted by another family, and the record of the biological parent is kept sealed...
, i.e. adoption in which the full identities of the birth parents, birth family members and the adopting family are not readily disclosed.
Some reunion registries are based on mutual consent and do matches from the information provided by the registrants. Others, run by governmental agencies, have access to the original documents identifying a birth family or adopting family. This is a form of adoption disclosure
Adoption disclosure
Adoption disclosure refers to the official release of information relating to the legal adoption of a child. Throughout much of the 20th century, many Western countries had legislation intended to prevent adoptees and adoptive families from knowing the identities of birth parents and vice-versa...
. In general, adoptees must be adults before they may be given identifying information, or at least age 18. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, state law governs whether such an institution may release this identifying information to the interested party. Some states have an adoption registry, in which both the adopted adult and birthparent must register before information will be provided. In other states, if the adoptee requests information, the organization will contact the birth parent and request consent for a reunion.
In Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, adult adoptees from British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
, and Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
generally have access to their own birth and adoption information provided no disclosure veto has been filed. In other provinces/territories, limited access to information is allowed; all jurisdictions have some form of reunion register.
In the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, adoption law has been amended to allow for open adoption
Open adoption
Open adoption is an adoption in which the biological mother or parents and adoptive family know the identity of each other. In open adoption, the parental rights of biological parents are terminated, as they are in "closed adoptions" and the adoptive parents become the legal parents, yet the...
s, the right to access one's records, and a state-run adoption reunion registry has been established.
Though many such registries are operated by government agencies, many private registries do exist, and can be found on the Web. These tend to be owned and/or managed by members of the adoption community and are generally more successful than government-run registries. The largest such organization is the International Soundex Reunion Registry, Inc., (ISRR) founded in 1975.
A problem generally with state-run registries has been the lack of publicity surrounding them. In contrast, in April 2005, the state-run National Adoption Contact Preference Registerhttp://www.dadpeter.co.uk/forum was launched in Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
with a national radio and newspaper advertising campaign, and included an application form for the registry being delivered to every household. The Irish registry allows a person using it to specify whether or not they want contact and/or reunion, what form that contact should take (e.g., letter, phone, e-mail), and, if they do not want contact at the time being, still allows for the passing of medical and/or background information to the other party.
External links
- International Soundex Reunion Registry - (free, US & International)
- Adoption Registry -(free)
- AICAN - Australian Intercountry Adoption Network
- California Adoption Reunion Registry (free)
- Canadian registry
- FindMyFamily.org (United States reunion registry, free)
- Irish state registry (free)
- Birth Adoption Contact Register
- The Worldwide Adoption Reunion Site -(free registration, some features require subscription)
- Birth Parent Search -(free)