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Searching for Birth Relatives
Many adoptees and birth parents or other birth relatives decide to search for one another at some point during their lives. Depending on the State in which the adoption occurred and individual circumstances, information from adoption records or the adoptee's original birth certificate, if available, may provide a starting place when conducting a search. Adoption reunion registries, both private and State-operated, are another source of information when searching for birth relatives. This section provides resources that address how to prepare for a search, access reunion registries and support groups, conduct a search within the United States, and conduct a search for birth relatives in another country.
Preparing to search
Beginner's Search Checklist
American Adoption Congress
Lists information and resources to help beginners get started.
Making the Decision: To Search or Not to Search
Schooler (2008)
In Journeys After Adoption: Understanding Lifelong Issues
View Abstract
Discusses reasons why adoptees search for birth parents and reasons some choose not to search. Determining the right time to search is also discussed.
Preparing Emotionally for and Initiating the Search
Schooler (2008)
In Journeys After Adoption: Understanding Lifelong Issues
View Abstract
Includes strategies for preparing emotionally and initiating a search for birth parents. The emotional stages of the search are described, and contact strategies are suggested.
Search and Reunion Etiquette: The Guide Miss Manners Never Wrote
American Adoption Congress
Addresses the distinction between search and reunion and discusses the process of accomplishing both.
Talking to Parents
Gorbett (2004)
In Adopted Teens Only: A Survival Guide to Adolescence
View Abstract
Reviews the problems that might be encountered when bringing up the possibility of getting information about birth parents from adoptive parents and provides practical suggestions from parents of teenagers on how to bring up sensitive topics.
Ten Questions to Ask Yourself
Holt International (2000)
Offers questions to help adoptees assess their readiness for an adoption search and reunion.
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General adoption search
The Adoptee Search: Looking for the Missing Piece (PDF - 73 KB)
Center for Adoption Support and Education, Inc. (2000)
Presents a guide for the parents of children who are searching for birth relatives.
The ALMA Society (Adoptee Liberty Movement Association)
Advocates for adoptees' rights and maintains a comprehensive and successful reunion registry.
Birthright: An Adoptee's Right to Know (PDF - 125 KB)
National Resource Center for Foster Care and Permanency Planning (2004)
Presents a brief history of policies regarding adoption records, related resources, and a summary of the dispute over whether adoption records should be open or closed.
Facing a History of Abuse or Neglect
Schooler (2008)
In Journeys After Adoption: Understanding Lifelong Issues
View Abstract
Explores reasons why adoptees with a history of childhood abuse and neglect seek out their birth parents.
International Soundex Reunion Registry
Offers a free mutual consent reunion registry for people seeking birth relatives.
Search and Reunion
American Adoption Congress
Includes a compilation of links to resources that can aid in searching for and reuniting with birth relatives.
When the Pieces Don't Fit: Finding Dead Ends or Death
Schooler (2008)
In Journeys After Adoption: Understanding Lifelong Issues
View Abstract
Discusses strategies for coping with birth parent searches that are unsuccessful or result in learning the person being sought has died.
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Intercountry adoption search
Access to Information and Search and Reunion in Korean American Adoptions: A Discussion Paper (PDF - 182 KB)
Freundlich (2001)
Reports on interviews conducted with Korean adoptees and their adoptive and birth parents, as well as adoption practitioners and experts in the United States, to gather different perspectives on the extent to which adoptees and birth relatives should have access to information about each other. This white paper was commissioned by the Korean American Adoptee Adoptive Family Network.
Birth Family Search
Korean American Adoptee Adoptive Family Network
Provides resources for searching for birth family members in Korea.
International Adoption
American Adoption Congress
Provides a list of support groups and organizations in a number of countries for people adopted internationally.
Searching for Birth Families Internationally
Adoptive Families Magazine
Compiled resources for those interested in conducting international birth family searches.
Searching for Birth Parents and Relatives
Adopted Vietnamese International
Offers resources for searching for birth family members in Vietnam.
Tracings
International Social Services
Provides search services to help adoptees find birth families abroad.
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