Difference between revisions of "Adoption"

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[[Category:Adopted Pages]]
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__TOC__
 
__TOC__
  
==History of the act of formal adoption and the law==
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==History of The Act of Formal Adoption and The Law==
  
 
=====Before 1976=====
 
=====Before 1976=====
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*The date, name of the child to be adopted, & the date of birth.  
 
*The date, name of the child to be adopted, & the date of birth.  
 +
 
*The name and address of the birth mother (and sometimes the father).
 
*The name and address of the birth mother (and sometimes the father).
 +
 
*The name and address of the adoptive parents, and sometimes the name of the person acting as Guardian ad Litem, and the decision of the court.
 
*The name and address of the adoptive parents, and sometimes the name of the person acting as Guardian ad Litem, and the decision of the court.
  
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=====Adoption Act 1976=====
 
=====Adoption Act 1976=====
  
The Adoption Act which came into being in 1976, changed things slightly. This made provision for people adopted after 11th November 1975 to have the right to access their birth records once they reached 18 years of age. It gave people adopted before that date the same right, but with the proviso that they must seek counselling first. The NRO will NOT release records to anyone without the appropriate official paperwork to say that this has been done.
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The Adoption Act which came into being in 1976, changed things slightly. This made provision for people adopted after 11th November 1975 to have the right to access their birth records once they reached 18 years of age ( 16 in Scotland). It gave people adopted before that date the same right, but with the proviso that they must seek counselling first. The NRO will NOT release records to anyone without the appropriate official paperwork to say that this has been done.
 +
 
  
 
=====Adoption and Children Act 2002 =====
 
=====Adoption and Children Act 2002 =====
 +
  
 
The Adoption and Children Act 2002, which came into force on 30 December 2005, brings the law on adoption up to date and puts the needs of the child above everything else. The changes in the law should improve the adoption service and help more people consider adoption.
 
The Adoption and Children Act 2002, which came into force on 30 December 2005, brings the law on adoption up to date and puts the needs of the child above everything else. The changes in the law should improve the adoption service and help more people consider adoption.
 
<br><br><br><br>
 
<br><br><br><br>
  
==What is adoption?==
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==What is Adoption?==
  
 
Adoption is a way of providing a new family for a child when living with their own family is not possible. It is the means of giving a child an opportunity to start again.
 
Adoption is a way of providing a new family for a child when living with their own family is not possible. It is the means of giving a child an opportunity to start again.
  
To be eligible for adoption the child must be under the age of 18 years and a child for whom returning home to their parents is not possible. Should the child be married or has been married they cannot be adopted.
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An adoption order may not be made in relation to a person who has attained the age of 19 years. Should the child be married or has been married they cannot be adopted.
  
 
'''An Adoption Order''' severs all legal ties with the birth family and confers parental rights and responsibilities on the new adoptive family. The birth parents no longer have any legal rights over the child and they are not entitled to claim them back. The child becomes a full member of the family; they take the adoptive parents’ surname and assume the same rights and privileges as if they had been born to them, including the right of inheritance.
 
'''An Adoption Order''' severs all legal ties with the birth family and confers parental rights and responsibilities on the new adoptive family. The birth parents no longer have any legal rights over the child and they are not entitled to claim them back. The child becomes a full member of the family; they take the adoptive parents’ surname and assume the same rights and privileges as if they had been born to them, including the right of inheritance.
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<br><br><br><br>
 
<br><br><br><br>
  
==How do you know if you are adopted?==
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==How Do You Know if You Are Adopted?==
  
 
In recent times, given the changes in adoption law and current thinking, it is thought better that a child know they are adopted, than for them to 'find out' by some other means. Many, although not all, of today's adoptees maintain contact with their birth parents, although this is relatively new thinking.
 
In recent times, given the changes in adoption law and current thinking, it is thought better that a child know they are adopted, than for them to 'find out' by some other means. Many, although not all, of today's adoptees maintain contact with their birth parents, although this is relatively new thinking.
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<br><br><br><br>
 
<br><br><br><br>
  
==Whose search is it?==
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==Whose Search Is It?==
  
 
It is the adoptee’s search, no one else’s and should be carried out at their pace.
 
It is the adoptee’s search, no one else’s and should be carried out at their pace.
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==Where to start?==
 
==Where to start?==
  
===First Step===
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'''First Step'''
  
 
'''In order to start your search it is necessary to obtain a copy of your full original birth certificate.'''
 
'''In order to start your search it is necessary to obtain a copy of your full original birth certificate.'''
 
<br><br>
 
<br><br>
*'''If you know your birth name.''' Sending for an original birth cert is no more difficult than sending for any other certificate from the GRO. The cost is £7.00, and should be applied for using a GRO Reference Number. Should you be unable to look it up for yourself, be assured that there is nothing in the GRO index that indicates the person is adopted.
+
*'''If you know your birth name.''' Sending for an original birth cert is no more difficult than sending for any other certificate from the GRO. The cost is £11.00, and should be applied for using a GRO Reference Number. Should you be unable to look it up for yourself, be assured that there is nothing in the GRO index that indicates the person is adopted.
 
<br>
 
<br>
 
*'''If you don’t know your birth name''' You will need to apply to the Registrar General for the information. If you were adopted before 12.11.1975 you are required to meet with an adoption counsellor prior to being given this information.
 
*'''If you don’t know your birth name''' You will need to apply to the Registrar General for the information. If you were adopted before 12.11.1975 you are required to meet with an adoption counsellor prior to being given this information.
  
  
'''Counselling''' is arranged through the Office for National Statistics. You should write to that office and they will send you an application form and information leaflets which should be carefully read and followed.
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'''Counselling''' is arranged through the Office for National Statistics, or through local social services post adoption service. You should write to that office and they will send you an application form and information leaflets which should be carefully read and followed.
  
 
Counselling will be arranged at a time convenient to you, and at a location of your choosing, and will not happen overnight. Adoption records take time to source and post-adoption counselling is only a small part of what today’s adoption teams do.  
 
Counselling will be arranged at a time convenient to you, and at a location of your choosing, and will not happen overnight. Adoption records take time to source and post-adoption counselling is only a small part of what today’s adoption teams do.  
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<br><br>
 
<br><br>
  
===Second Step===
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'''Second Step'''
  
 
'''Write down everything you have been told about your birth and circumstances surrounding it.'''
 
'''Write down everything you have been told about your birth and circumstances surrounding it.'''
  
If you have accessed your file through a counselling session, then you will have information that you can note down. If you haven't, maybe it is time to get that counselling arranged. An adoption file can contain a wealth of information or very little but it is all facts with which you can work.
+
If you have accessed your file through a counselling session, then you will have information that you can note down. If you haven't, maybe it is time to get that counselling arranged. An adoption file can contain a wealth of information or very little but it is all facts with which you can work. Ask for copies of documents to take away with you. You can re-read at your leisure, and take in facts that may have passed you by at the session.  
  
 
It must be noted that not all files contain the absolute truth. What is recorded is what the agency or social worker involved was told at the time by the parties involved.
 
It must be noted that not all files contain the absolute truth. What is recorded is what the agency or social worker involved was told at the time by the parties involved.
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<br><br>
 
<br><br>
  
===Third Step===
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'''Third Step'''
 +
 
 
'''Actively register your interest in the places that birth families may have registered their desire to establish contact - if this is what you seek to achieve.'''
 
'''Actively register your interest in the places that birth families may have registered their desire to establish contact - if this is what you seek to achieve.'''
  
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Before 1991, the Registrar General operated a non-statutory system of record tagging, a kind of unofficial swap system, so that counsellors could be advised of enquiries made by birth family members about an adopted person, which can then be passed on at a counselling session.  
 
Before 1991, the Registrar General operated a non-statutory system of record tagging, a kind of unofficial swap system, so that counsellors could be advised of enquiries made by birth family members about an adopted person, which can then be passed on at a counselling session.  
  
Created in 1991, the [http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/adoptions/adoptedchildrenregister/index.asp Adopted Children Register] exists to put adopted people and their birth relatives in touch with each other if that is what they both wish and a relative may have registered.  
+
Created in 1991, the [http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/Registeringlifeevents/Birthandadoptionrecords/Adoptionrecords/DG_175603 Adopted Children Register] exists to put adopted people and their birth relatives in touch with each other if that is what they both wish and a relative may have registered.  
  
 
The Contact Register cannot help an adopted person to learn of the whereabouts of a birth relative or to know their birth relative’s wishes unless the relative has also chosen to be entered on the Contact Register. From 30 December 2005 applicants can record a wish for specific or no contact with a named individual.
 
The Contact Register cannot help an adopted person to learn of the whereabouts of a birth relative or to know their birth relative’s wishes unless the relative has also chosen to be entered on the Contact Register. From 30 December 2005 applicants can record a wish for specific or no contact with a named individual.
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<br><br>
 
<br><br>
==Coping with the hard facts==
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==Coping With The Hard Facts==
  
 
Once you start searching you must prepare yourself for finding things that you may find unpleasant and well as positive things. Do try and prepare yourself for the worst care scenarios, then it can only be better. Its is possible, despite what you have been led to believe, that you may have been born as a result of rape, incest or that you were in fact a foundling. Maybe you were conceived as result of an extra marital affair or your birth mother was nothing more than a child herself. All these scenarios cause different emotions which should be thought through before proceeding and again, consideration given as to the likely outcome of a reunion with a mother who gave her child for adoption in one of those 'worst case ' scenarios.  
 
Once you start searching you must prepare yourself for finding things that you may find unpleasant and well as positive things. Do try and prepare yourself for the worst care scenarios, then it can only be better. Its is possible, despite what you have been led to believe, that you may have been born as a result of rape, incest or that you were in fact a foundling. Maybe you were conceived as result of an extra marital affair or your birth mother was nothing more than a child herself. All these scenarios cause different emotions which should be thought through before proceeding and again, consideration given as to the likely outcome of a reunion with a mother who gave her child for adoption in one of those 'worst case ' scenarios.  
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<br><br><br><br>
 
<br><br><br><br>
  
==Although it's my search who else does it affect?==
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==Although It's My Search, Who Else Does It Affect?==
  
 
As has been said, it is the adoptee's search and no one else's, although other people are involved to various degrees. Their thoughts and feelings may play a part in this search; in the way you go about things and to whom you can feel comfortable talking to about it.
 
As has been said, it is the adoptee's search and no one else's, although other people are involved to various degrees. Their thoughts and feelings may play a part in this search; in the way you go about things and to whom you can feel comfortable talking to about it.
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*'''Your Adoptive parents.''' This is always a difficult one, and depends on how open you feel your parents were with you about your adoption. People that have had a chance to talk with their adoptive parents freely and openly over the years about the fact that they were adopted may find it easier than those for whom it was a closed subject, or indeed kept a complete secret and the adoptee has discovered rather than having been told.  
 
*'''Your Adoptive parents.''' This is always a difficult one, and depends on how open you feel your parents were with you about your adoption. People that have had a chance to talk with their adoptive parents freely and openly over the years about the fact that they were adopted may find it easier than those for whom it was a closed subject, or indeed kept a complete secret and the adoptee has discovered rather than having been told.  
 +
  
 
If you feel you can tell your adoptive parents, it is probably better that they know. They love you and maybe able to fill in some more blanks that will help you on your way. They after all may know facts that they haven’t told you, quite simply because you haven't felt the need to ask up until now.
 
If you feel you can tell your adoptive parents, it is probably better that they know. They love you and maybe able to fill in some more blanks that will help you on your way. They after all may know facts that they haven’t told you, quite simply because you haven't felt the need to ask up until now.
 +
  
 
Adoptive parents are not a naive as we are given to believe. There are few that do not realise that this search is something their adopted child may one day want to embark upon. They may have reservations, or feel a little put out, and if so then the quieter and calmer you are about it, the better.
 
Adoptive parents are not a naive as we are given to believe. There are few that do not realise that this search is something their adopted child may one day want to embark upon. They may have reservations, or feel a little put out, and if so then the quieter and calmer you are about it, the better.
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<br><br>
 
<br><br>
  
==Sources to aid in the search for a birth parent==
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==Sources To Aid in The Search For a Birth Parent==
  
 
*The '''Register of Electors''' will soon become familiar to you, and will no doubt be searched on countless occasions. These are available only in the locality to which they are relevant. They can only be searched by address - the address at which a birth parent lived when you were born is a good start point.
 
*The '''Register of Electors''' will soon become familiar to you, and will no doubt be searched on countless occasions. These are available only in the locality to which they are relevant. They can only be searched by address - the address at which a birth parent lived when you were born is a good start point.
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*'''Telephone directories/on line directories'''. Make a list of all the occurrences of the right name, and cross reference them with the electoral roll. Probably the last thing you would ever do is to actually telephone someone you thought to be a birth parent, but using a telephone directory to gather name occurrences is a good idea.
 
*'''Telephone directories/on line directories'''. Make a list of all the occurrences of the right name, and cross reference them with the electoral roll. Probably the last thing you would ever do is to actually telephone someone you thought to be a birth parent, but using a telephone directory to gather name occurrences is a good idea.
  
*'''[http://www.myfolks.co.uk/ My Folks Website]''' A site to search and place messages to find family and friends in the UK. They'll not only help and advise you in your search, they'll laugh and cry with you too. They do make a charge for their services (although not just for talking and advising), which can be quite costly - this can amount to around £200.
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*'''[http://www.myfolks.org.uk/ My Folks Website]''' A site to search and place messages to find family and friends in the UK. They'll not only help and advise you in your search, they'll laugh and cry with you too. They do make a charge for their services (although not just for talking and advising), which can be quite costly - this can amount to around £200.
  
 
<br><br>
 
<br><br>
  
==What are the costs involved in searching?==
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==What Are The Costs Involved in Searching?==
  
 
In working out what costs will be incurred, one needs to think further than simply financial costs. Other things to consider are time, energy and emotional cost as well as monetary.
 
In working out what costs will be incurred, one needs to think further than simply financial costs. Other things to consider are time, energy and emotional cost as well as monetary.
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Searching through Birth, Death and Marriage records costs little, if anything. What needs to be thought out is how to pay for the inevitable certificates that will be required and expenses such as travel. A telephone is a useful asset, and a very draining resource - if every last penny you can muster goes into research, something or someone is bound to suffer. Set yourself a budget and try and stick to it.
 
Searching through Birth, Death and Marriage records costs little, if anything. What needs to be thought out is how to pay for the inevitable certificates that will be required and expenses such as travel. A telephone is a useful asset, and a very draining resource - if every last penny you can muster goes into research, something or someone is bound to suffer. Set yourself a budget and try and stick to it.
 
<br><br>
 
<br><br>
 
 
  
 
==Some Useful Addresses==
 
==Some Useful Addresses==
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:Merseyside
 
:Merseyside
 
:PR8 2HH
 
:PR8 2HH
:Tel:01514 714 313    
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:Tel: (0151) 471 4313    
  
  
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:Oxon
 
:Oxon
 
:OX16 9AB
 
:OX16 9AB
:Tel: 01295 752240 (9am – 5pm)
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:Tel: (01295) 752240 (9am – 5pm)
:Fax: 01295 752241
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:Fax: (01295) 752241
:Helpline 0844 848 7900 (10am – 4pm)
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:Helpline: 0844 848 7900 (10am – 4pm)
 
:Website: [http://www.adoptionuk.org/ Adoption UK]
 
:Website: [http://www.adoptionuk.org/ Adoption UK]
 
:Email: admin@adoptionuk.org.uk.
 
:Email: admin@adoptionuk.org.uk.
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:Oxfordshire
 
:Oxfordshire
 
:OX33 1LU
 
:OX33 1LU
:Tel:01865 875 000       
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:Tel: (01865) 875 000       
 +
:Website [http://www.norcap.org.uk/ Norcap]
  
  
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:Manchester
 
:Manchester
 
:M3 7NN
 
:M3 7NN
:Tel: 0161 839 4930
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:Tel: (0161) 839 4930
 
:Website: [http://www.afteradoption.org.uk/ After Adoption]
 
:Website: [http://www.afteradoption.org.uk/ After Adoption]
  
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:London
 
:London
 
:NW5 2RZ
 
:NW5 2RZ
:Tel:020 7284 0555  
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:Tel: (020) 7284 0555  
 
:Website: [http://www.postadoptioncentre.org.uk/ Post Adoption Centre]
 
:Website: [http://www.postadoptioncentre.org.uk/ Post Adoption Centre]
  
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:London
 
:London
 
:EC1 1UW
 
:EC1 1UW
:Tel:01704 569 824
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:Tel: (01704) 569 824
 
 
<br><br>
 
  
==A-Z of County/Local Council Contacts==
 
  
<div align="center"> [[#A|A]] | [[#B|B]] | [[#C|C]] | [[#D|D]] | [[#E|E]] | [[#F|F]] | [[#G|G]] | [[#H|H]] | [[#I|I]] | [[#J|J]] | [[#K|K]] | [[#L|L]] | [[#M|M]] | [[#N|N]] | [[#O|O]] | [[#P|P]] | [[#Q|Q]] | [[#R|R]] | [[#S|S]] | [[#T|T]] | [[#U|U]] | [[#V|V]] | [[#W|W]] | [[#XYZ|XYZ]]</div>
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'''Barnardo's'''
 +
:Tanners Lane
 +
:Barkingside
 +
:Ilford
 +
:Essex
 +
:IG6 1QG
 +
:Tel: (020) 8550 8822
 +
:Fax: (020) 8551 6870
 +
:Website [http://www.barnardos.org.uk/who_we_are/history/barnardos_homes.htm Thomas Barnardo's Orphanges and Homes - A Directory ]
  
----
 
  
 +
'''Birthlink'''
 +
:21 Castle Street
 +
:Edinburgh
 +
:EH2 3DN
 +
:Scotland
 +
:United Kingdom
 +
:Tel: (0131) 225 6441
 +
:Website: [http://www.birthlink.org.uk/ Birthlink]
  
'''A'''<span id="A"></span>
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==Additional Links==
 +
*[http://www.adoptionsearchreunion.org.uk/default.htm Adoption Search Reunion] Site for Locating Where Records Might Be Held Now.
  
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*[http://www.iwasadopted.com/?gclid=CMrDksy_25ICFQOE1Aod1B-e_g I Was Adopted dot com] Global Adoption Reunion Site
  
<div align="right">[[#top|Back to Top]]</div>
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*[http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/adoption/ Every Child Matters] Information on Adoption for Practitioners Working with Children and Families.
'''B'''<span id="B"></span>
 
  
'''London Borough of Barking and Dagenham'''
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*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adoption Wikipedia Adoption Page]
:512a Heathway
 
:Dagenham
 
:Essex
 
:RM10 7SL
 
:Tel: 020 8227 5802 or 020 8227 5949 (outside office hours – answering machine)
 
:Website: [http://www.lbbd.gov.uk/ London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Council]
 
:e-mail: fostering@lbbd.gov.uk
 
:Adoption Support Services Co-ordinator
 
:E-mail:tom.parkes@lbbd.gov.uk
 
  
 +
*[http://www.adoptionuk.org/ Adoption UK]
  
'''London Borough of Barnet'''
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*[http://www.baaf.org.uk/info/lpp/adoption/scotland.shtml Adoption in Scotland]
:Adoption Team
 
:Barnet House
 
:1255 High Road
 
:London
 
:N20 0EJ
 
:Tel: 020 8359 5701
 
:Fax: 020 8359 5754
 
:Website: [http://www.barnet.gov.uk/ Barnet Online - London Borough of Barnet website]
 
:e-mail: adoption@barnet.gov.uk
 
  
 +
*[http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/regscot/adoption.html Infomation From Adoption Unit at New Register House, (The GRO for Scotland)]
  
'''Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council'''
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*[http://www.uk-legislation.hmso.gov.uk/legislation/scotland/acts2007/asp_20070004_en_1 Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007]
:Social Services Department
 
:Wellington House
 
:36 Wellington Street
 
:Barnsley
 
:Yorkshire , S70 1WA
 
:Tel: 01226 775476
 
:Fax: 01226 773099
 
:Website: [http://www.barnsley.gov.uk Barnsley MBC]
 
:e-mail: townhall@barnsley.gov.uk  
 
  
 +
*[http://www.birthlink.org.uk/ Birthlink] A Charity Offering a Range of Services to People Separated by Adoption with a Scottish Connection.
  
'''Bedfordshire County Council'''
+
*[http://www.uktrackers.co.uk/ti_news.htm Trackers International]
:Social Services Department
+
<br><br>
:Houghton Close
 
:Ampthill
 
:MK45 2TG
 
:Tel: 01525 631043/631084
 
:Fax: 01525 840551
 
:Website: [http://www.bedfordshire.gov.uk/Home.aspx  Bedfordshire County Council]  
 
:e-mail: care@bedscc.gov.uk
 
  
 +
==A-Z of County/Local Council Contacts==
  
'''Bexley Council'''
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[[Adoption County/Local Council Contacts - A to M]]
:Children's Placement Service
 
:Howbury Centre
 
:Slade Green Road
 
:Erith
 
:Kent DA8 2HX
 
:Tel: 020 8303 7777 ext. 3827/3830
 
:Website: [http://www.bexley.gov.uk/service/children/incare/adoption.html Child Placements Service]
 
:e-mail: adoption&fostering@bexley.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Birmingham City Council'''
 
:Adoption Recruitment
 
:203 Corporation Street
 
:Birmingham
 
:B4 6SE
 
:Tel: 0121 303 7575
 
:Website: [http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/adoptionandfostering.bcc Adoption and Fostering - We Need You!]
 
:Email: A&FRecruit@birmingham.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Blackburn with Darwen Council'''
 
:Social Services Department
 
:Jubilee House
 
:Jubilee Street
 
:Blackburn , BB1 1ET
 
:Tel: 0800 328 6919
 
:Fax: 01254 587318
 
:Website: [http://www.blackburn.gov.uk/ Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council]
 
:e-mail: familyplacement@blackburn.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Blackpool Borough Council'''
 
:Housing & Social Services Department
 
:Progress House
 
:Clifton Road
 
:Blackpool FY4 4US
 
:Tel: 01253 477477
 
:Website: [http://www.blackpool.gov.uk/ Blackpool Council - Home]
 
:e-mail: Fosteringandadoption@blackpool.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council'''
 
:Social Services Department
 
:Woodlands
 
:Manchester Road
 
:Bolton , BL3 2PQ
 
:Tel: 01204 337840
 
:Fax: 01204 337489
 
:Website: [http://www.bolton.gov.uk/portal/page?_pageid=387,139829&_dad=portal92&_schema=PORTAL92 Children's Services]
 
:e-mail: bolton@bolton.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Bournemouth Borough Council'''
 
:The Family Placement Team
 
:Maxwell Road Depot
 
:Maxwell Road
 
:Winton
 
:Bournemouth BH9 1DL
 
:Tel: 01202 456743
 
:Fax: 01202 451000
 
:Website: [http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/ Welcome to Bournemouth Borough Council Online]
 
:e-mail: adoption@bournemouth.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Bracknell Forest Borough Council'''
 
:Bracknell Family Placement Team
 
:Time Square
 
:Market Street
 
:Bracknell , Berkshire , RG12 1JD
 
:Tel: 01344 351 582
 
:Fax: 01344 351 521
 
:Minicom: 01344 352 045 (text phone via the general switchboard)
 
:Website: [http://www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/  Bracknell Forest Borough Council]
 
:e-mail: family.placement@bracknell-forest.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Bradford City Council'''
 
:Social Services Department Adoption Team
 
:Aire Building
 
:35 Saltaire Road
 
:Shipley
 
:West Yorkshire
 
:BD18 3HH
 
:Service Advice line : 01274 437343
 
:Recruitment Hotline : 01274 434331
 
:Fax: 01274 740456
 
:Website: [http://www.bradford.gov.uk/health_well-being_and_care/care/adoption_and_fostering/adoptionandfostering.htm Bradford Council]
 
 
 
 
 
'''London Borough of Brent'''
 
:Chesterfield House
 
:9 Park Lane
 
:Wembley
 
:Middlesex , HA9 7RW
 
:Tel: 020 8937 4522/4525
 
:Fax: 020 8937 4520
 
:Website: [http://www.brent.gov.uk/ Welcome to Brent Council]
 
:e-mail: customerservices@brent.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Brighton and Hove Council'''
 
:Fostering and Adoption Team
 
:253 Preston Road
 
:Brighton , BN1 6SE
 
:Tel: 01273 295444
 
:Fax: 01273 295445
 
:King's House
 
:Grand Avenue
 
:Hove , BN3 2LS
 
:Tel: 01273 295031
 
:Website: [http://www.adoptioninbrightonandhove.org.uk/index.cfm?request=a1200 Fostering & Adoption]
 
:e-mail: fostering@brighton-hove.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Bristol City Council'''
 
:Social Services Department
 
:Family Placement Team (Recruitment)
 
:Social Services and Health
 
:Avonvale Road
 
:Redfield
 
:Bristol BS5 9RJ
 
:Tel: 0117 954 8545
 
:Fax: 0117 941 2103
 
:Minicom: 0117 954 8548
 
:Website: [http://www.bristol.gov.uk/ccm/portal/  Bristol City Council]
 
 
 
 
 
'''London Borough of Bromley'''
 
:Bromley Social Services & Housing
 
:Joseph Lancaster Hall
 
:Civic Centre
 
:Bromley
 
:Kent BR1 3UH
 
:Tel: 020 8313 4193
 
:Fax: 020 8313 4086
 
:Website: [http://www.bromley.gov.uk/Default.bromley Bromley Council]
 
:e-mail: fostering&adoption@bromley.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
'''Buckinghamshire County Council'''
 
:''Adoption & Permanence Team''
 
:Social Services Department
 
:Council Offices
 
:King George V Road
 
:Amersham
 
:Bucks, HP6 5BN
 
:Tel: 01494 732134
 
:Fax: 01494 732749
 
 
 
 
 
:''Post Adoption Team''
 
:Social Services Department
 
:County Hall
 
:Aylesbury
 
:Bucks, HP20 1YU
 
:Tel: 01296 387935
 
:Fax: 01296 383182
 
:Website: [http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/bcc/content/index.jsp?contentid=-1335087047 Fostering]
 
:e-mail: enquiries@buckscc.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Bury Metropolitan Borough Council'''
 
:Personal and Community Services
 
:Social Services Department
 
:Accommodation Services
 
:18/20 St Mary's Place
 
:Bury, BL9 0DZ
 
:Tel: 0161 253 5457
 
:Fax: 0161 253 5466
 
:Website: [http://www.bury.gov.uk/default.htm Bury Metropolitan Borough Council]
 
:e-mail: FosteringandAdoption@bury.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
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'''C'''<span id="C"></span>
 
 
 
 
 
'''Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale'''
 
:Adoption & Permanence Team
 
:Calderdale Social Services
 
:Ovenden Hall
 
:Ovenden Road
 
:Halifax HX3 5QG
 
:Tel:01422 353279       
 
:Fax: 01422 323287
 
:Website: www.calderdale.gov.uk
 
:e-mail: enquiries.socserv@calderdale.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Cambridgeshire County Council'''
 
:Fostering & Adoption Services ( Cambridge , South & East Cambs )
 
:18 - 20 Signet Court
 
:Swann's Road
 
:Cambridge CB5 8LA
 
:Freephone number:0800 052 0078       
 
:Duty:01223 718388       
 
:Fax: 01223 718656
 
 
 
 
 
'''Fostering & Adoption Services (Huntingdon & Fenland)'''
 
:Buttsgrove Centre
 
:38 Buttsgrove Way
 
:Huntingdon
 
:Cambs PE29 1LY
 
:Freephone number:0800 052 0078       
 
:Tel:01480 376404       
 
:Fax: 01480 376409
 
 
 
 
 
'''Intercountry Adoption:'''
 
:18 - 20 Signet Court
 
:Swann's Road
 
:Cambridge CB5 8LA
 
:Telephone:01223 718417       
 
:Website: www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk
 
:e-mail: Stephanie.Bishop@socserv.camcnty.gov.uk or :Sue.Gunns@socserv.camcnty.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''London Borough of Camden'''
 
:Adoption Team
 
:115 Wellesley Road
 
:London , NW5 4PA
 
:Tel:020 7974 6165 ( 9.00 am to 5.00pm weekdays)
 
:Fax: 020 7974 6799
 
:Website: www.camden.gov.uk
 
:e-mail: info@camden.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Cheshire County Council'''
 
:Family Placement Service
 
:FREEPOST NATE1105
 
:Chester CH1 1ZZ
 
:Adoption Hotline:01244 602222       
 
:Website: www.adoptionincheshire.co.uk
 
:e-mail: adoption@cheshire.gov.uk
 
 
 
'''Corporation of London'''
 
:Community Services Department
 
:PO Box 270
 
:Guildhall
 
:London
 
:EC2P 2EJ
 
:Tel:020 7332 1224       
 
:Website: www.cityoflondon.gov.uk
 
 
 
'''Cornwall County Council'''
 
:Adoption and Family Finding Unit
 
:13 Treyew Road
 
:Truro , TR1 2BY
 
:Tel:01872 270251       
 
:Fax:01872 260557 or 01872 270340       
 
:Website: www.cornwall.gov.uk
 
:e-mail: SSD.adoption@cornwall.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
'''Coventry City Council'''
 
:Family Placement Service
 
:Stoke House
 
:Lloyd Crescent
 
:Wyken
 
:Coventry CV2 5NY
 
:Tel:024 7665 9504       
 
:Fax: 024 7665 9004
 
:Website: www.coventry.gov.uk
 
:e -mail: familyplacementservice@coventry.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''London Borough of Croydon'''
 
:Adoption Team
 
:Social Services Department
 
:Taberner House
 
:Park Lane
 
:Croydon, CR9 2BA
 
:Tel:0800 389 0129       
 
:Fax: 020 8760 5665
 
:Website: www.croydon.gov.uk
 
:e-mail: child.care@croydon.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Cumbria County Council'''
 
:3 Victoria Place
 
:Carlisle , CA1 1EH
 
:Tel:01228 606060       
 
:Fax: 01228 606327
 
:Website: www.cumbria.gov.uk
 
:e-mail: information@cumbriacc.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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'''D'''<span id="D"></span>
 
 
 
'''Darlington Borough Council'''
 
:Adoption Team
 
:Central House
 
:Gladstone Street
 
:Social Services Department
 
:Town Hall
 
:Darlington
 
:Co Durham , DL31 6JX5QT
 
:Tel:01325 346227 0191 386 3719
 
:Fax: 01325 346474
 
:Website: www.darlington.gov.uk
 
:e-mail: DFWadoption@aol.com
 
 
 
 
 
'''Derby City Council'''
 
:Adoption Team,
 
:Social Services,
 
:Perth Street Office,
 
:Derby DE21 6XX
 
:Tel: 01332 718000
 
:Fax: 01332 256154
 
:Website: www.derby.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Derbyshire County Council'''
 
:Social Services Department
 
:County Hall
 
:Matlock
 
:Derbyshire , DE4 3AG
 
:Tel: 01629 772205 (9.00am–12.30pm weekdays)
 
:Fax: 01629 585995
 
:Website: www.derbyshire.gov.uk
 
:e-mail: call.centre@derbyshire.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Devon County Council'''
 
:South Hams, Teignbridge and West Devon districts
 
:Adoption Unit,
 
:Foxhole
 
:Dartington
 
:Totnes
 
:Devon TQ9 6EB
 
:Tel:01803 869038
 
:Fax:01392 386609
 
 
 
 
 
'''Exeter, East Devon, Mid Devon districts'''
 
:Adoption Unit
 
:Ivybank
 
:45 St David's Hill
 
:Exeter , EX4 4DN
 
:Tel: 01392 384968
 
:Fax: 01392 384984
 
 
 
 
 
'''North Devon and Torridge district'''
 
:Adoption Unit
 
:20 St Georges Road
 
:Barnstaple EX32 7AU
 
:Tel:01271 388069
 
:Fax:01271 388079
 
:Website: www.devon.gov.uk
 
:e-mail: adoption@devon.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council'''
 
:Social Services Department
 
:PO Box 251
 
:The Council House
 
:College Road
 
:Doncaster
 
:South Yorkshire , DN1 3DA
 
:Tel: 01302 737968 or 01302 737059
 
Fax: 01302 736673
 
:Website: www.doncaster.gov.uk
 
:e-mail: adoption@doncaster.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Dorset County Council'''
 
:East Dorset Area Adoption and Fostering address:
 
:Pippins
 
:Hanham Road
 
:Wimborne
 
:Dorset
 
:BH21 1AS
 
:Tel: 01202 889969
 
 
 
 
 
'''West Dorset Area Adoption and Fostering address:'''
 
:Acland Road
 
:Dorchester
 
:Dorset
 
:DT1 1SH
 
:Tel: 01305 251414
 
 
 
:Policy queries
 
:Social Services Directorate Dorset
 
:County Hall
 
:Colliton Park
 
:Dorchester DT1 1XJ
 
:Tel: 01305 224389
 
:Website: www.dorsetforyou.com
 
:e-mail: socialcare@dorsetcc.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council'''
 
:Social Services Department
 
:Ednam House
 
:1 St James Road
 
:Dudley
 
:West Midlands DY1 3JJ
 
:Tel:01384 815891
 
:Website: www.dudley.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Durham County Council'''
 
:Social Care and Health
 
:Fostering and Adoption
 
:Durham Resource Centre
 
:Littleburn Business Centre
 
:Mill Road
 
:Langley Centre
 
:County Durham DH7 8ET
 
:Tel: 0191 370 6100
 
:Fax: 0191 383 4500
 
:Website: www.durham.gov.uk
 
 
 
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'''E'''<span id="E"></span>
 
 
 
'''East Sussex County Council'''
 
:Adoption Services
 
:Social Services Department
 
:St Mary's House
 
:52 St Leonard 's Road
 
:Eastbourne
 
:East Sussex BN21 3UU
 
:Tel:01323 747154
 
:Fax:01323 747426
 
:Website: www.eastsussexcc.gov.uk
 
:e-mail: information.line@eastsussexcc.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''London Borough of Enfield'''
 
:Social Services Office
 
:Southgate Town Hall
 
:Green Lanes
 
:Palmers Green
 
:London N13 4XD
 
:Tel:020 8379 8490
 
:Fax:020 8379 2699
 
:Website: www.enfield.gov.uk/adoption/index.html
 
:e-mail: Ingrid.perkins@enfield.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Essex County Council'''
 
:The Central Adoption Team
 
:Eckard House
 
:Easton Road
 
:Witham
 
:Essex CM8 2DW
 
:Telephone:01376 516767
 
:Fax:01376 515891
 
:Website: www.essexcc.gov.uk
 
:e-mail: myrna.fahie@essexcc.gov.uk
 
 
 
:If you live in '''Chelmsford, Basildon, Rochford, or Castle Point'''
 
:Families for Children (South Team)
 
:Essex Adoption Service
 
:Ely House
 
:Ely Way
 
:Basildon
 
:Essex SS14 2BQ
 
:Tel:01268 643282
 
:Fax:01268 643202
 
 
 
:If you live in '''Colchester, Tendring, Maldon or Braintree'''
 
:Families for Children (East Team)
 
:Rose House
 
:St Albrights
 
:1 London Road
 
:Stanway
 
:Colchester
 
:Essex CO3 5NS
 
:Tel:01206 714650
 
:Fax:01206 369113
 
 
 
:If you live in '''Harlow, Epping, Uttlesford or Brentwood'''
 
:Families for Children (West Team)
 
:No 5 Astra Centre
 
:Edinburgh Way
 
:Harlow
 
:Essex CM20 2BE
 
:Tel:01279 437994
 
:Fax:01279 432477
 
 
 
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'''F'''<span id="F"></span>
 
 
 
 
 
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'''G'''<span id="G"></span>
 
 
 
'''Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council'''
 
:The Adoption Team
 
:Learning and Children
 
:Gateshead Council
 
:Council Offices
 
:Prince Consort Road
 
:Gateshead
 
:Tyne and Wear NE8 4HJ
 
:Tel:0191 433 8333
 
:Website:www.gateshead.gov.uk/socserv/fostering.htm
 
:e-mail:adoptionandfostering@gateshead.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Gloucestershire County Council'''
 
:The Adoption Team
 
:Sandford Park House
 
:39-41 London Road
 
:Cheltenham
 
:Gloucestershire
 
:Tel:01242 532 597
 
:Website:www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/adoption
 
:e-mail:adoption@gloucestershire.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''London Borough of Greenwich'''
 
:Adoption Team
 
:147 Powis Street
 
:Woolwich
 
:London , SE18 6JL
 
:Tel:020 8921 2752
 
:Fax:020 8921 2790
 
:Website: www.greenwichkids.org.uk
 
:e-mail:adoption@greenwich.gov.uk
 
 
 
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'''H'''<span id="H"></span>
 
 
 
'''London Borough of Hackney'''
 
:Adoption and Fostering
 
:205 Morning Lane
 
:London E9 6JX
 
:Tel:0800 0730 418
 
:Fax:020 8356 4072
 
:Website:www.hackney.gov.uk/socialservices/soc-cfs.htm
 
:e-mail:info@hackney.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Halton Borough Council'''
 
:Halton Adoption & Fostering Services
 
:Halton Borough Council (covering Runcorn & Widnes in Cheshire)
 
:Grosvenor House
 
:Halton Lea
 
:Runcorn WA7 2ED
 
:Tel:01928 704 360
 
:Fax:01928 704 378
 
:Website: www.halton.gov.uk
 
:e-mail: adoption&fostering@halton-borough.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham'''
 
:Adoption Team
 
:2nd Floor
 
:Barclay House
 
:Effie Road
 
:London SW6 1EN
 
:Tel:0800 169 3497
 
:Fax:020 8576 5078
 
:Website: www.lbhf.gov.uk
 
:e-mail: information@lbhf.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Hampshire County Council'''
 
 
 
:Non-relative adoptions & Intercountry Adoptions
 
:County Adoption Team
 
:Hamble Cottage
 
:Glen Road
 
:Swanwick
 
:Southampton SO31 7HD
 
:Tel:01489 587000
 
:Fax:01489 587015
 
 
 
:Post Adoption
 
:County Adoption Services
 
:Glen House
 
:Glen Road
 
:Swanwick
 
:Southampton SO31 7HD
 
:Tel:01489 587543 or 587548
 
:Fax:01489 575594
 
:Website: www.hants.gov.uk/hcc
 
 
 
 
 
'''Haringey Council'''
 
:4th Floor
 
:40 Cumberland Road
 
:Wood Green
 
:London N22 7SG
 
:Tel:020 8489 3774
 
:Fax:020 8489 3299
 
:Website:www.haringey.gov.uk
 
:e-mail: sandra.smith@haringey.gov.uk and sarah.peel@haringey.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''London Borough of Harrow'''
 
:Family Placement Service
 
:Harrow People First
 
:429 – 433 Pinner Road
 
:North Harrow HA1 4HN
 
:Tel 020 8863 0166 or 020 8863 5544
 
:Fax:020 8424 8045
 
:Website: www.harrow.gov.uk
 
:e-mail: adoption@harrow.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Hartlepool Borough Council'''
 
:Aneurin Bevan House
 
:35 Avenue Road
 
:Hartlepool
 
:Cleveland , TS24 8HD
 
:Tel:01429 523926
 
:Fax:01429 523906
 
:Website:www.hartlepool.gov.uk
 
:e-mail:ray.morris@hartlepool.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''London Borough of Havering'''
 
:Family Placement Service
 
:Midland House
 
:109-113 Victoria Road
 
:Romford
 
:Essex RM1 2LX
 
:Tel:01708 434577
 
:Website:www.havering.gov.uk
 
:e-mail:info@havering.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Herefordshire Council'''
 
:Team Manager (Adoption)
 
:The Children's Resource Team
 
:Moor House
 
:Widemarsh Common
 
:Herefordshire HR4 9NA
 
:Tel:01432 262835
 
:Fax:01432 279096
 
:Website:www.herefordshire.gov.uk
 
:e-mail:ssh_adoption@herefordshire.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Hertfordshire County Council'''
 
:Social Services Department
 
:County Hall
 
:Hertford SG13 8DP
 
 
 
:Area teams:
 
 
 
:Adoption Team ( East Herts ):
 
:16 Warren Park Road
 
:Bengeo
 
:Hertfordshire SG14 3JD
 
:Tel:01992 509 437
 
 
 
:Adoption Team ( West Herts ):
 
:Old Parkway School
 
:Parkway
 
:Welwyn Garden City
 
:Hertfordshire AL8 6JD
 
:Tel:01707 897 654
 
:Website:www.hertsdirect.org
 
:e-mail:hertsdirect@hertscc.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''London Borough of Hillingdon'''
 
:Fostering and Adoption Team
 
:Children's Resources
 
:855 Uxbridge Road
 
:Hayes
 
:Middlesex, UB4 8HZ
 
:Tel:01895 277850 ( 9.00 am – 5.00 pm Monday to Friday)
 
:Fax:01895 277851
 
:Website:www.hillingdon.gov.uk
 
:e-mail:bvenn@hillingdon.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''London Borough of Hounslow'''
 
:The Permanent Placement Team
 
:The Civic Centre
 
:Lampton Road
 
:Hounslow TW3 4DN
 
:Tel:020 8583 3437
 
:Fax:020 8583 3444
 
:Website:www.hounslow.gov.uk
 
:e-mail:adoptioninfo.sshp@hounslow.gov.uk
 
 
 
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'''I'''<span id="I"></span>
 
 
 
'''Isle of Wight County Council'''
 
:Jennie Dix -Team Manager
 
:Adoption Services
 
:Isle of Wight Council
 
:St James's Centre
 
:4&5 St James's Street
 
:Newport
 
:Isle of Wight PO30 5HE
 
:Tel:01983 814370/ 01983 821000
 
:Fax:01983 612918
 
:Website:www.southcoastadoption.co.uk
 
:e-mail:jennie.dix@iow.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''London Borough of Islington'''
 
:Islington Adoption Service
 
:12 Highbury Crescent
 
:London N5 1RN
 
:Tel:020 7527 4400
 
:Fax:020 7527 4401
 
:Website:www.islington.gov.uk/adoption
 
:e-mail:adoption@islington.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
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'''J'''<span id="J"></span>
 
 
 
 
 
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'''K'''<span id="K"></span>
 
 
 
'''Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea'''
 
:Social Services Children and Families Service
 
:140 Ladbroke Grove
 
:Westway Information Centre, London W10 5ND
 
:Tel:020 7598 4444
 
:Website:www.rbkc.gov.uk
 
:e-mail:Adopt-FosterUs@rbkc.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Kent County Council'''
 
:East Kent Team
 
:Kroner House
 
:Eurogate Business Park
 
:Ashford
 
:Kent TN24 8XU
 
:Tel:01233 898630/1/2/3
 
:Fax:01233 898638
 
 
 
 
 
'''West Kent Team'''
 
:17 Kings Hill Avenue
 
:Kings Hill
 
:West Malling
 
:Kent ME19 4UL
 
:Tel:01732 525323
 
:Fax:01732 525315
 
 
 
 
 
'''Intercountry & Adoption Panels Information'''
 
:Maidstone Local Office
 
:Bishops Terrace
 
:Bishops Way
 
:Maidstone
 
:Kent  ME14 1LA
 
:Tel:01622 691640
 
:Fax:01622 693782
 
:e-mail:adoption.panel@kent.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Kent Post Adoption Service'''
 
:NCH Action for Children
 
:12 Romney Place
 
:Maidstone
 
:Kent ME15 6LE
 
:Tel:01622 683772
 
:Fax:01622 683772
 
:e-mail:sekpas@mail.nch.org.uk
 
:Website:www.nch.org.uk
 
 
 
'''Kent general adoption website''': www.KENTADOPTION.com
 
:e-mail:adoption@kent.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Kingston Upon Hull City Council'''
 
:The Adoption Service
 
:Gleneagles Centre
 
:East Carr Road
 
:Hull  HU8 8LB
 
:Tel:01482 300300 – ask for Adoption Service
 
:Fax:01482 789282
 
:Website:www.hullcc.gov.uk/adoption
 
:e-mail:adoption @hullcc.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames'''
 
:Community Services Department
 
:Royal Kingston
 
:Guildhall, High Street
 
:Kingston-Upon-Thames
 
:Surrey ,KT1 1EU
 
:Tel:020 8547 6042
 
:Fax:020 8547 5846
 
:Website:www.kingston.gov.uk/adoptionandfostering
 
:e-mail:famplacduty@rbk.kingston.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Kirklees Metropolitan Council'''
 
:Fostering and Adoption of Children
 
:Kirklees Family Placement Unit
 
:Westfields
 
:Westfields Road
 
:Mirfield
 
:West Yorkshire WF14 9PW
 
:Tel:0800 389 0086 / 01924 483707
 
:Fax:01924 483720
 
:Website:www.kirkleesmc.gov.uk
 
:e-mail:family.placement@kirklees.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley'''
 
:Knowsley Adoption and Fostering Services
 
:Astley House
 
:Astley Road
 
:Huyton
 
:Liverpool  L36 8HY
 
:Tel:0151 443 3958
 
:Website:www.knowsley.gov.uk
 
:e-mail:adoptionfostering@knowsley.gov.uk
 
 
 
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'''L'''<span id="L"></span>
 
 
 
'''London Borough of Lambeth'''
 
:Children's Resource Centre
 
:392-4 Brixton Road
 
:London SW9 7AW
 
:Tel:0800 952 2926
 
:Fax:0207 926 8537
 
:Website:www.lambeth.gov.uk
 
:e-mail:infoservice@lambeth.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Lancashire County Council'''
 
:Morecambe Bay
 
:(covering the District Council area of Lancaster )
 
:Permanent Placement Team
 
:White Cross
 
:Lancaster  LA1 4XQ
 
:Tel:01524 566246
 
:Fax:01524 585624
 
 
 
 
 
'''North West Lancashire'''
 
:(covering the District Council areas of Preston , Fylde and Wyre)
 
:Permanent Placement Team
 
:Unit 21/22
 
:Navigation Business Village
 
:Ashton On Ribble
 
:Preston  PR2 2YP
 
:Tel:01772 769111
 
:Fax:01772 769666
 
 
 
 
 
'''South Lancashire'''
 
:(covering the District Council areas of South Ribble, Chorley and West Lancashire)
 
:Permanent Placement Team
 
:Bamber Bridge DSO
 
:Brindle Road
 
:Bamber Bridge, PR5 6RT
 
:Tel:01772 904650
 
:Fax:01772 532504
 
 
 
 
 
'''East Lancashire'''
 
:(covering the District Council areas of Hyndburn, Ribble Valley , Pendle, Burnley and :Rossendale)
 
:Permanent Placement Team
 
:Fernbank
 
:210 Coal Clough Lane
 
:Burnley BB11 1HW
 
:Tel:01282 423927
 
:Fax:01282 451234
 
 
 
'''Headquarters'''
 
:Lancashire Social Services Directorate
 
:Children & Families Service
 
:East Cliff County Offices
 
:PO Box 162
 
:Preston  PR1 3EA
 
:Tel:01772 534825
 
:Fax:01772 534425
 
:Website:www.lancashire.gov.uk
 
:e-mail:adoption@socserv.lancscc.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Leeds City Council'''
 
:Department of Social Services
 
:Fostering and Adoption
 
:3rd Floor West Merrion House
 
:Leeds LS2 8QB
 
:Tel:0113 2474747
 
:Freephone:0800 801900 (Information packs request service)
 
:Fax:0113 2478695
 
:Website:www.leeds.gov.uk/adoption
 
:e-mail:ss.fostering.and.adoption@leeds.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Leicester City Council'''
 
:Adoption Team for Leicester City Council, Leicestershire County Council and Rutland :County Council Social Services Departments
 
:Eagle House
 
:11 Friar Lane
 
:Leicester  LE1 5RB
 
:Tel:0116 299 5899
 
:Fax:0116 299 5900
 
:Website:www.leicester.gov.uk
 
:e-mail:andrf001@leicester.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Leicestershire County Council'''
 
:Adoption Team
 
:Fostering and Adoption Centre
 
:Eagle House
 
:11 Friar Lane
 
:Leicester LE1 5RB
 
:Tel:0116 299 5899
 
:Fax:0116 299 5900
 
:Website:www.leics.gov.uk
 
:e-mail:social-services@leics.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''London Borough of Lewisham'''
 
:Adoption Service
 
:St Paul's House
 
:125 Deptford High Street
 
:London SE8 4NS
 
:Tel:0800 587 7392
 
:Fax:020 8314 3025
 
:Website:www.lewisham.gov.uk
 
:e-mail:adoption.info@lewisham.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Lincolnshire County Council'''
 
:Social Services Department
 
:Wigford House
 
:Brayford Wharf East
 
:Lincoln  LN5 7BH
 
:Tel:01522 554066
 
:Freephone:0800 093099
 
:Website:www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/section.asp?catld=1972
 
:e-mail:Fosteringandadoption@lincolnshire.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Liverpool City Council'''
 
:Social Services Department
 
:26 Hatton Garden
 
:Liverpool L3 2AW
 
:Tel:0151 233 3029
 
:Website:www.liverpool.gov.uk
 
:e-mail:Liverpool.direct@liverpool.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
'''Luton Borough Council'''
 
:Adoption Team, Children and Learning Department
 
:Unity House
 
:111 Stuart Street
 
:LUTON , LU1 5NP
 
:Tel:01582 547568
 
:Fax:01582 547734
 
:Website:www.luton.gov.uk
 
:e-mail:Adoptions@luton.gov.uk
 
 
 
 
 
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[[Adoption County/Local Council Contacts - N to Z]]
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== Adoption from Abroad==
  
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Naturally, each country has its own rules and regulations concerning adoption, a mine field far too big to be covered here.
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An overview of some of the rules, regulations and requirements can be understood by referring to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_adoption#Process_overview Wikipedia Adoption From Abroad ]
  
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*[http://www.germanbirthregister.com/index_en.php Site Dedicated to Reuniting German Born Adoptees ]
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==Searching For An Adoptee==
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Different Rules and acts of parliament apply, depending on when an adoption took place, and which agency was involved. The rights and procedures for a birth relative to follow are best explained here [http://www.n-p-n.co.uk/birthparents_rights.htm Birth Parents Rights]
  
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==Further reading==
  
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*[http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~adoption/index.html The Adoption History Project] - USA based but interesting reading.
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*[http://www.dil.aber.ac.uk/dils/Research/RFocus9/staf_rrf.htm Famous & Remarkable Adoptees, Foster Children and Others: a Biographical Directory]
  
  
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Back to [[Creating Your Family Tree]]
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Latest revision as of 07:02, 12 September 2022



History of The Act of Formal Adoption and The Law

Before 1976

Adoption was put on a formal footing in 1926, following the publication of the Adoption of Children Act.

Prior to this, adoptions were arranged by adoption societies and between private individuals. Some societies, one being the Church of England Children's Society, maintain records of adoptions that they arranged. Boards of Guardians also prepared reports but very few remain.

When the act was drafted it was assumed that the adopted person’s break with the birth family would be total and it was believed that the adopted person would never be able to trace their birth roots.

From 1927 adoptions had to be approved by magistrates meeting in a Petty Sessions Court and each court maintained a register. These registers are closed to public inspection for 75 years.


The registers contain:

  • The date, name of the child to be adopted, & the date of birth.
  • The name and address of the birth mother (and sometimes the father).
  • The name and address of the adoptive parents, and sometimes the name of the person acting as Guardian ad Litem, and the decision of the court.

The clerk to the Petty Sessions Court kept a file on each adoption and many have been destroyed. Some may be deposited at the NRO, but are not open to public inspection.


Later, local authorities were given authority to supervise adoptions and children's officers were appointed. These were sometimes attached to the Education Department (before the creation of Social Services departments in 1971), who again kept a register of all the cases with which they were involved. The registers are dated 1927-1945 and are a useful indication as to whether there are papers relating to the adoption in the Children's Officer's files. If the register indicates that the County Council acted as Guardian ad Litem, there should be relevant papers.

Children's Officer's files can be disappointing but should contain forms signed by the birth mother relinquishing her rights to the child. Sometimes there is correspondence from the local clergy as to the suitability of the prospective parents. Sometimes there will be a note about the birth mother and her circumstances and in some cases notes about the father too.

Registers of all adoptions are kept at the General Register Office and indexes to them can be accessed BUT only the adoptee is allowed access to the information that links the birth name with the adopted one.

Adoption Act 1976

The Adoption Act which came into being in 1976, changed things slightly. This made provision for people adopted after 11th November 1975 to have the right to access their birth records once they reached 18 years of age ( 16 in Scotland). It gave people adopted before that date the same right, but with the proviso that they must seek counselling first. The NRO will NOT release records to anyone without the appropriate official paperwork to say that this has been done.


Adoption and Children Act 2002

The Adoption and Children Act 2002, which came into force on 30 December 2005, brings the law on adoption up to date and puts the needs of the child above everything else. The changes in the law should improve the adoption service and help more people consider adoption.



What is Adoption?

Adoption is a way of providing a new family for a child when living with their own family is not possible. It is the means of giving a child an opportunity to start again.

An adoption order may not be made in relation to a person who has attained the age of 19 years. Should the child be married or has been married they cannot be adopted.

An Adoption Order severs all legal ties with the birth family and confers parental rights and responsibilities on the new adoptive family. The birth parents no longer have any legal rights over the child and they are not entitled to claim them back. The child becomes a full member of the family; they take the adoptive parents’ surname and assume the same rights and privileges as if they had been born to them, including the right of inheritance.

All adoption orders must be granted by the High Courts, County Courts or Juvenile Courts. They issue a directive to the Registrar General to make an entry in the adopted children’s register, according to the particulars of the adopted child and adoptive parents.



How Do You Know if You Are Adopted?

In recent times, given the changes in adoption law and current thinking, it is thought better that a child know they are adopted, than for them to 'find out' by some other means. Many, although not all, of today's adoptees maintain contact with their birth parents, although this is relatively new thinking.

Many people will no doubt go through life never even knowing they were adopted, No one has ever told them and they have never had a situation arise in which they have queried their parentage- it is a small minority though.

Most will know because their parents have told them, maybe just once and never spoke of it again, but nevertheless have told them.

Other parents will be open and honest and explain to the child what being adopted means, maybe starting at an early age, before the child even understands the complex meaning of what they are being told.

There is no rule. No-one has to tell their child they are adopted (although the child may not thank them should they ever discover!) and there is nothing to say that a child shouldn't be told, for whatever reason. A parent's ability to talk about their child's adoption in no way reflects on their love for the child - some can talk openly and honestly about adoption like many other things, others are just not as confident.

Maybe a good thing to note... When telling a child about their pre-adoption situation, many parents may not tell the whole truth. That is not to say they set out to lie or deceive, but simply that as parents, it is their job to protect and care for you and your feelings. No parent wants their child to be hurt, so maybe will not tell of things that they think will hurt or cause them distress. Don’t think any the less of them for this – it is because they love you.



Whose Search Is It?

It is the adoptee’s search, no one else’s and should be carried out at their pace.

Any adoptee that chooses to search needs to do so for themselves and with very good reason.

All sorts of things may be uncovered along the way that will raise emotional issues and thoughts. As each occurs they need to be thought through, and their implications on everyone, not just the adoptee, need close examination. What a well meaning friend thinks about something maybe completely different as to what you think. Gather opinion by all means, but ultimately regardless of what anyone else thinks, it is the adoptee’s feelings that matter most.


Two possible Scenarios (of hundreds!): You have your birth name, and your birth parents’ names on your original birth certificate and have started basic factual research. You find evidence to suggest that your birth mother went on and married.


  • Scenario One:

She married a man two years after you were born, and had children who consequently are your half siblings


  • Scenario Two:

She went on to marry your birth father two years after you were born and had children that are consequently your full siblings.


How does that make you feel? Scenario One evokes different feelings to Scenario Two. This needs to be thought through and will have implications on what you may or may not choose to do next, or even ever.



Where to start?

First Step

In order to start your search it is necessary to obtain a copy of your full original birth certificate.

  • If you know your birth name. Sending for an original birth cert is no more difficult than sending for any other certificate from the GRO. The cost is £11.00, and should be applied for using a GRO Reference Number. Should you be unable to look it up for yourself, be assured that there is nothing in the GRO index that indicates the person is adopted.


  • If you don’t know your birth name You will need to apply to the Registrar General for the information. If you were adopted before 12.11.1975 you are required to meet with an adoption counsellor prior to being given this information.


Counselling is arranged through the Office for National Statistics, or through local social services post adoption service. You should write to that office and they will send you an application form and information leaflets which should be carefully read and followed.

Counselling will be arranged at a time convenient to you, and at a location of your choosing, and will not happen overnight. Adoption records take time to source and post-adoption counselling is only a small part of what today’s adoption teams do.

If you know your birth name, it is still highly beneficial to have a session or even two with a post adoption counsellor. They don’t bite and have a wealth of knowledge and experience and will not be shocked by anything they hear, nor judge how you feel. They are there to hold your hand, let them hold it.

Could a friend do the job as well as a counsellor?

You may think so, but no, a friend can listen, and up to a point understand, but what they cannot do is feel impartial. You can pretty much say anything to a counsellor and they will understand, and have probably heard it before anyway. That counsellor will always be there for you, and far better, if you get to the point of contacting a birth parent, that they make that approach, than a well meaning friend.

Second Step

Write down everything you have been told about your birth and circumstances surrounding it.

If you have accessed your file through a counselling session, then you will have information that you can note down. If you haven't, maybe it is time to get that counselling arranged. An adoption file can contain a wealth of information or very little but it is all facts with which you can work. Ask for copies of documents to take away with you. You can re-read at your leisure, and take in facts that may have passed you by at the session.

It must be noted that not all files contain the absolute truth. What is recorded is what the agency or social worker involved was told at the time by the parties involved.

In the case of privately arranged adoptions, information maybe hard to find, although the local authority that covers the area of the court that made the adoption order should have records, if only brief. At the very least they will have overseen your welfare supervision, and may still have the records.

Third Step

Actively register your interest in the places that birth families may have registered their desire to establish contact - if this is what you seek to achieve.

Whatever form of trying to trace your birth family you choose to use, it is a good idea to register your 'desire to know' in the appropriate place i.e. places where birth families might also look for you.

1. There are various places that can help you by registering your interest, the GRO Adoption Contact Register possibly being the best.

Before 1991, the Registrar General operated a non-statutory system of record tagging, a kind of unofficial swap system, so that counsellors could be advised of enquiries made by birth family members about an adopted person, which can then be passed on at a counselling session.

Created in 1991, the Adopted Children Register exists to put adopted people and their birth relatives in touch with each other if that is what they both wish and a relative may have registered.

The Contact Register cannot help an adopted person to learn of the whereabouts of a birth relative or to know their birth relative’s wishes unless the relative has also chosen to be entered on the Contact Register. From 30 December 2005 applicants can record a wish for specific or no contact with a named individual.

The Adoption Contact Register is in two parts and there is a one-off registration fee per entry of £15 for Part 1 and £30 for Part 2.

Part 1 of the Contact Register is for adopted adults to record their wishes for contact or no contact with birth relatives.

Part 2 of the Contact Register is for birth relatives to record their wishes for contact or no contact with the adopted person. To apply, birth relatives must satisfy the General Register Office of their relationship to the adopted person.


2. NORCAP: offers adults affected by adoption practical help and support to locate and make contact with relatives lost through adoption. Membership is available through their website.The first year’s subscription includes a registration fee of £50. NORCAP: Supporting Adults Affected by Adoption


And also:

3. The society that arranged your adoption.

4. The Local Authority Adoption Section that arranged your adoption



Sarah's Story

A fictionalised account of an adoptee's search for her birth family.

Sarah's Story



Coping With The Hard Facts

Once you start searching you must prepare yourself for finding things that you may find unpleasant and well as positive things. Do try and prepare yourself for the worst care scenarios, then it can only be better. Its is possible, despite what you have been led to believe, that you may have been born as a result of rape, incest or that you were in fact a foundling. Maybe you were conceived as result of an extra marital affair or your birth mother was nothing more than a child herself. All these scenarios cause different emotions which should be thought through before proceeding and again, consideration given as to the likely outcome of a reunion with a mother who gave her child for adoption in one of those 'worst case ' scenarios.

Put yourself in that birth mother’s shoes and consider again how she might have felt both then and will feel now if you re-enter her world. Maybe it will make your ability to approach her easier or harder, but either way, at least you'll know.

Coping with finding a death of a birth parent, if your aim was to meet them, can be desperately hard, and of course, can be discussed with your counsellor. After a long slog, the finding of a death can close a journey so abruptly, so again examine how you'll feel if you happen across this.



Although It's My Search, Who Else Does It Affect?

As has been said, it is the adoptee's search and no one else's, although other people are involved to various degrees. Their thoughts and feelings may play a part in this search; in the way you go about things and to whom you can feel comfortable talking to about it.


  • Yourself. Explore what you really feel before you embark upon the search. Are you ready? If not, don't start! Don’t ever feel pressured by anyone else that it is something you have to do, you don’t have to if you don’t want to!


  • Your Husband/wife/partner. It is a good idea to have a spouse/partner with you in spirit. Whilst undergoing your search there will be days, weeks even, when you feel elation or despair which will be hard to disguise or your feelings may manifest themselves as anger or jubilation, and it is far better to be in a position to share with those that love you, than to have to try to cover it up. A partner may not understand why you need to know, they don’t have to, and although it might make things more difficult emotionally, it is still considered better when they are aware that you are doing it.


  • Your children. Are your children of an age to understand the concept that you are exploring? Will it confuse them as to who you are, or indeed who they are? Will it confuse them as to their loyalties if and when your search comes to fruition, as to who is who, and where they stand with whom? If you have any doubts that they will not understand the concept, keep it until they do.


  • Your Adoptive parents. This is always a difficult one, and depends on how open you feel your parents were with you about your adoption. People that have had a chance to talk with their adoptive parents freely and openly over the years about the fact that they were adopted may find it easier than those for whom it was a closed subject, or indeed kept a complete secret and the adoptee has discovered rather than having been told.


If you feel you can tell your adoptive parents, it is probably better that they know. They love you and maybe able to fill in some more blanks that will help you on your way. They after all may know facts that they haven’t told you, quite simply because you haven't felt the need to ask up until now.


Adoptive parents are not a naive as we are given to believe. There are few that do not realise that this search is something their adopted child may one day want to embark upon. They may have reservations, or feel a little put out, and if so then the quieter and calmer you are about it, the better.


  • Your birth family. Of course your search may have implications for them. The circumstances surrounding your birth maybe be completely in the open and common knowledge amongst subsequent husbands, partners or siblings, but of course it may not. It cannot be stressed enough, that a birth mother’s 'here and now' must be given consideration irrespective of an adoptee's needs and wants however hard that is for the adoptee. The adoptee that tries to breezes back into a birth mother’s life is likely to get a less favourable reception than one who has tactfully and quietly made an advance and respected the birth mother’s feelings and has proved by their actions that they can be discreet and diplomatic.



Sources To Aid in The Search For a Birth Parent

  • The Register of Electors will soon become familiar to you, and will no doubt be searched on countless occasions. These are available only in the locality to which they are relevant. They can only be searched by address - the address at which a birth parent lived when you were born is a good start point.
  • Births, Deaths and Marriages indexes. Hours spent closely examining birth death and marriage registers will soon become a time consuming interest. Record your findings and note where and when you have looked. Make notes and record every possibility just in case.
  • Telephone directories/on line directories. Make a list of all the occurrences of the right name, and cross reference them with the electoral roll. Probably the last thing you would ever do is to actually telephone someone you thought to be a birth parent, but using a telephone directory to gather name occurrences is a good idea.
  • My Folks Website A site to search and place messages to find family and friends in the UK. They'll not only help and advise you in your search, they'll laugh and cry with you too. They do make a charge for their services (although not just for talking and advising), which can be quite costly - this can amount to around £200.



What Are The Costs Involved in Searching?

In working out what costs will be incurred, one needs to think further than simply financial costs. Other things to consider are time, energy and emotional cost as well as monetary.

Time will have to be put aside for counselling session(s) as well as for travel to register offices and maybe even to the GRO. Research can be very time consuming, and when a critical point it reached can be 'life encompassing' and needs to be strictly disciplined so that it does not become your whole life. Never forget that your family needs you now! Do you have that time without making too many sacrifices?

Searching through Birth, Death and Marriage records costs little, if anything. What needs to be thought out is how to pay for the inevitable certificates that will be required and expenses such as travel. A telephone is a useful asset, and a very draining resource - if every last penny you can muster goes into research, something or someone is bound to suffer. Set yourself a budget and try and stick to it.

Some Useful Addresses

Office of National Statistics (ONS)

Adopted Children Register (and/or) Adoption Contact Register
Smedley Hydro
Trafalgar Road
Southport
Merseyside
PR8 2HH
Tel: (0151) 471 4313





Adoption UK

46 The Green
South Bar Street
Banbury
Oxon
OX16 9AB
Tel: (01295) 752240 (9am – 5pm)
Fax: (01295) 752241
Helpline: 0844 848 7900 (10am – 4pm)
Website: Adoption UK
Email: admin@adoptionuk.org.uk.


The General Register Office (Northern Ireland)

Oxford House
49-55 Chichester Street
Belfast
BY1 4HL


The General Register Office (Republic of Ireland)

8 - 11 Lombard Street
Dublin 2


The General Register Office (Scotland)

Adoption Unit
New Register House
Edinburgh
EH1 3YT


National Organisation for the Counselling of Adoptees and Parents (Norcap)

112 Church Road
Wheatley
Oxfordshire
OX33 1LU
Tel: (01865) 875 000
Website Norcap


After Adoption

12-14 Chapel Street
Manchester
M3 7NN
Tel: (0161) 839 4930
Website: After Adoption


Post Adoption Centre

8 Torriano Mews
Torriano Avenue
London
NW5 2RZ
Tel: (020) 7284 0555
Website: Post Adoption Centre


Public Search Rooms - Family Record Office

1 Myddleton Street
London
EC1 1UW
Tel: (01704) 569 824


Barnardo's

Tanners Lane
Barkingside
Ilford
Essex
IG6 1QG
Tel: (020) 8550 8822
Fax: (020) 8551 6870
Website Thomas Barnardo's Orphanges and Homes - A Directory


Birthlink

21 Castle Street
Edinburgh
EH2 3DN
Scotland
United Kingdom
Tel: (0131) 225 6441
Website: Birthlink

Additional Links

  • Every Child Matters Information on Adoption for Practitioners Working with Children and Families.
  • Birthlink A Charity Offering a Range of Services to People Separated by Adoption with a Scottish Connection.



A-Z of County/Local Council Contacts

Adoption County/Local Council Contacts - A to M

Adoption County/Local Council Contacts - N to Z

Adoption from Abroad

Naturally, each country has its own rules and regulations concerning adoption, a mine field far too big to be covered here.

An overview of some of the rules, regulations and requirements can be understood by referring to Wikipedia Adoption From Abroad


Searching For An Adoptee

Different Rules and acts of parliament apply, depending on when an adoption took place, and which agency was involved. The rights and procedures for a birth relative to follow are best explained here Birth Parents Rights


Further reading


Back to Creating Your Family Tree