How do I find out about tracing birth relatives?
Information for people tracing birth relatives.
The Adoption Search and Reunion website is intended to be the first port of call for anyone thinking about searching for or making contact with birth and adopted relatives or researching an adoption that took place in the UK.
The Adoption Register is held by the General Register Office and was in introduced in 1991 to help adopted people and their birth relatives let each other know of their interest to have contact or ‘no contact’ and with whom. To register your interest in being contacted by a birth relative, you can add your name to the Adoption Contact Register. There is a small charge for adding your details to the register and you must be over the age of 18.
Other organisations that offer support and information include:
NORCAP
General Register Office Scotland
Birthlink (Scotland)
General Register Office N.Ireland.
BAAF publishes a wide range of publications that deal with adoption search and reunion including the BAAF Advice Notes If you are adopted (for adopted people) and Child from the Past (for birth families), and The Adoption Reunion Handbook by Liz Trinder, Julia Feast and David Howe. Wiley, 2004.
More details of BAAF publications about adoption search and reunion
BAAF Publications Catalogue 2007
Back to section: About adoption
Last updated: 16 January 08
