Where to find adoption records
Adoption records can be located in several agencies. The three main locations are the Local Authority, a Voluntary Adoption Agency and the court where the adoption order was granted.
However, in all adoption cases the Local Authority will have been involved, either as the placing agency and/or as the agency that was notified by the prospective adoptive parent(s) of their intention to apply for an Adoption Order. It is possible for two Local Authorities to have been involved if the prospective adoptive parent(s) did not live in the placing Local Authority area.
The placing agency (referred to in current legislation as the Appropriate Adoption Agency) may have been a Voluntary Adoption Agency. Some Voluntary Adoption Agencies no longer exist but in most cases their records were transferred to another Voluntary Adoption Agency or to the Local Authority in whose area they had their head quarters. The Locating Adoption Records database holds information about where adoption records can be located.
How long do adoption agencies keep records for?
Until 1975 there was no legislation to stipulate for how long and how adoption records should be kept. Therefore some agencies may not have retained information that will help adopted people gather background and other relevant information. Since the Children Act 1975 adoption agencies were expected to keep adoption records for 75 years. However has been increased to 100 years since the implementation of the Adoption and Children Act 2002.
Do I have an automatic right to the information held on the agency’s adoption record?
Agencies have the discretion to share information from the records they hold so adopted people do not have an automatic right to information. However during the past few decades adoption agencies have gained a greater understanding about the needs of adopted people to have access to information that can help them answer important questions about their background, and also to help them begin a search for birth family members, so agencies are usually willing to share information that is held on their records.
What normally happens? Will I have to go to the adoption agency?
Adopted people who want to access information about their family background would normally be expected to see an adoption social worker before information is shared from the records. Normally an appointment would be made for you to see the adoption social worker who will be able to go through the information with you. The information held in an adoption record is likely to give you more information than is on the birth certificate. For example, information about other birth family members. However remember that records can vary between a single page summary sheet or thirty or more pages depending on what information was gathered by the adoption agency at the time and how much has been retained.
How can I find out if the adoption agency that arranged my adoption still exists and if it is not what I can do then?
You should go to the Locating Adoption Records database on the Adoption Search Reunion website where you can search for adoption agencies in England and Wales, and if the agency that arranged your adoption has closed then it should signpost you to the agency that now holds the records.
I was adopted but have been told that the adoption records have been destroyed?
If the agency that organised your adoption have no records then it would be worth contacting the court that made the adoption order. The name of the court will be noted on your adoption certificate. The Court may hold some records relating to your adoption. There is no automatic right to any information, but the Courts have discretion to disclose information on application (Adoption Rules 1984 S.I 1984 No.265; Rule 53(4); and Magistrates’ Court (Adoption) Rules 1984 S.1.1984 No. 611; Rule 32(6)). These rules have been retained and only apply to pre-commencement adoptions.
You should write to the clerk of the court and they will be able to tell you whether or not it is possible to have access to this information and how you can go about getting it. Sometimes an appointment is made for you to see a Judge who may then be able to answer some of the questions you have from the information held on the court record.
Your adoption worker can also write to court and make an application for access to court records on your behalf.
I have discovered that my adoption was arranged privately, so how can I get more information about my background and circumstances about my adoption?
If your adoption was a private arrangement then there may be very little information available to you. It is worth contacting the local authority where the adoption order was made to see if they hold any information about your adoption. It is also worth contacting the Court where the Adoption Order was granted as some records relating to your adoption may be held there. There is no automatic right to any information but the Courts have discretion to disclose information on application (Adoption Rules 1984 S.I 1984 No.265; Rule 53(4); and Magistrates’ Court (Adoption) Rules 1984 S.1.1984 No. 611; Rule 32(6)). These rules have been retained and only apply to pre-commencement adoptions.
You should write to the clerk of the court and they will be able to tell you whether or not it is possible to have access to this information and how you can go about getting it. Sometimes an appointment is made for you to see a Judge who may then be able to answer some of the questions you have from the information held on the court record.
Your adoption worker can also write to court and make an application for access to court records on your behalf.
I am trying to find out information about my father who was adopted in 1913?
Many people are who are searching information for a family tree have been told that one of their relatives was adopted. These are always difficult enquiries as you may not get the information you are looking for.
In England and Wales adoption first became legal in 1926 and was not enacted until 1927, so the first adoption orders were not granted until 1927. There were 2943 adoption orders granted in that year.
Before the introduction of legislation adoptions were arranged informally by organisations, or directly between the birth mother and adopting parents, and in some cases agreements may have been drawn up by lawyers. Permanent placements may also have been made by Guardians of the Poor or Public Assistance bodies and county record offices are now the main holders of this information.
Whilst there was no legal adoption order made until 1927, there was nothing to stop families making their own arrangements. This means that it may be very difficult to locate information to confirm whether or not your relative was ‘informally’ adopted.
However providing your relative was under the age of 21 years when the adoption legislation was enacted in 1927, then it may be possible that your relative was adopted so one way of clarifying this is to apply for an adoption certificate. If there is no registration then you will have your answer about whether or not your relative was adopted.
You can apply to the Registrar General for a copy of your relative's adoption certificate either online at www.gov.uk/browse/births-deaths-marriages/register-offices or by post:
Adoptions section
Room C202
General Register Office
Trafalgar Rd
Southport PR8 2HH
It might also be helpful to read the information we have written for descendants of deceased adopted people or our free Tracing Guide that explains the various methods and resources that can be used to find out about origins and how to use the information to trace relatives.