British Association for Adoption & Fostering (BAAF)
Tel: 020 7421 2600 (see website for regional numbers)
www.baaf.org.uk and www.adoptionsearchreunion.org
This 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.
Adoption UK
Helpline: 0844 848 7900, 10am to 4pm daily
www.adoptionuk.org.uk
Helpline for adoptive families, prospective adoptees and professionals in the field of adoption.
NCH Action for Children
For an Information Pack call: 0845 355 5533
www.actionforchildren.org.uk/content/186/Adopting-a-child
We believe that children need families who can help them grow up feeling good about themselves, with knowledge of their own culture, language and religion.
Our projects connect adoptive families from all cultural backgrounds, reflecting the children looking for a new family. We also have specialist projects that focus on finding families for children from black and minority ethnic backgrounds.
Direct Gov – The Adoption Contact Register
www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/Registeringlifeevents/Birthandadoptionrecords/Adoptionrecords/DG_175603
The Adoption Contact Register puts adopted people and their birth relatives in touch with each other, if that is what they both wish. You can only find the whereabouts of an adopted person or birth relative if they have chosen to be entered on the Contact Register. Applicants can also record a wish for specific or no contact with a named individual. This resource will take you through the process.
Post-Adoption Centre
Helpline: 0870 777 2197
Mon to Thurs, 10am to 1pm, and Thurs evenings, 5.50pm to 7.30pm
www.postadoptioncentre.org.uk
Trained and experienced counsellors offer a friendly listening ear, confidential advice, course and workshop details and, where appropriate, appointments for face-to-face counselling or referrals to other services
After Adoption
Helpline Numbers: ActionLine: 0800 0 568 578
www.afteradoption.org.uk
TALKadoption: 0808 808 1234
BirthTies: 0800 840 2020
After Adoption offers a wide range of services and provides information, support and advice to all those affected by adoption. Working with children, families and adults to offer support throughout the adoption process. This can involve helping a birth parent to overcome the loss of their child to adoption, helping an adopted adult to search for their birth relatives, giving support to adoptive families and providing information to birth relatives.
Natural Parents Network
www.n-p-n.co.uk
An organisation for natural parents and other relatives who have lost children to adoption.
Trans-national and Trans-racial Adoption Group
www.ttag.org.uk
TTAG aims to provide opportunities for adoptees adopted into families whose racial and cultural heritage is different from theirs to meet each other. By developing relationships and friendships through sharing experiences and ideas, we as individuals and our organization will become even stronger. To promote the needs of trans-nationally and trans-racially adopted adults and children on a local and national level.
New Family Social
Tel: 0843 2899457
www.newfamilysocial.co.uk
New Family Social is run by, and for, LGBT adopters and foster carers across the UK. Our families find support and friendships through a network of local groups, and in our online member’s area. Advice and encouragement is also available to those considering adoption or fostering.
Inter-country Adoption Centre
www.icacentre.org.uk
The Inter-country Adoption Centre is a registered charity and voluntary adoption agency, and the only specialist centre for inter-country adoption in the UK.
We offer a variety of services to inter-country adoptees, to prospective and established adopters, to birth families and to professionals. Our site details the services and we hope that you find it helpful and informative.
Birthlink Scotland
Tel: 0131 225 6441
www.birthlink.org.uk
The Adoption Contact Register for Scotland is a confidential computerised database. The purpose of the Register is to put adopted people and their birth parents. Birthlink now provides an After Adoption Information Line for anyone with questions about after adoption issues. Service users include adopted adults, birth parents of people adopted as children and their family members, adoptive family members, local authority social workers, voluntary adoption agencies and other professionals. Our Care Connect service helps adults who were formerly ‘in care’; either growing up in the residential care of a local authority or in a foster family to access information from records. Many of this group have the same issues as adopted adults such as lack of information about their birth parents and family which impacts on their sense of identity.