Finding my adopted half brother

[buzzby]

Hi
Can anyone help me as to how I can try to make contact with a half brother whom was adopted at birth in the United Kingdom ..(1964)  I have the details of the date, birth etc and have written to adoption agencies in that area - all to no reply. I believe it could be due to possibly having his first name changed. Is there Anyone looking for adopted family finding it hard ?
Any help would be appreciated
Kindest Regards
buzzby

[avm228]

Have you tried something like this BAAF site for intermediary services?

www.adoptionsearchreunion.org.uk/search/database/

NB I have not used them and am in no position to make any recommendations.

[silvery]

You can put your name on the 'Adoption Contact Register',  and if the other person is on it you will be put in touch.

https://www.gov.uk/adoption-records/the-adoption-contact-register

The details of the original birth certificate will have nothing to enable tracing of the adoption certificate which takes its place, or vice versa.   Only the person adopted can make the link after going through all the procedures.  edit:  I see through reading the link that Avm gave, that the regs changed, and it may be possible for you try and trace the adopted person.

(It is advised when attempting to make contact with people that you use an intermediary to cope with any unforseen problems.   It can be a shock to people. )

[dawnsh]

Hi buzzby

Unless you know the name he was adopted into, there is no way of linking an entry in the GRO birth index with an entry in the GRO adopted childrens index, and virtually no chance of finding him through the normal channels.

As suggested the best way forward is to register your name on the GRO adoption contact register already mentioned or here

http://www.adoptionsearchreunion.org.uk/default.htm

or here

http://www.missing-you.net/categories/adoptions.php

in the hope that he too has registered to find his birth family.

There is also the chance that being adopted at birth in 1964, he may not know he was adopted. Unfortunately all the adoption systems are designed to protect the identity of adopted children and upto the 1970's the adoption of children was an extremely sensitive issue, less so nowadays when adoptive parents are encouraged to tell their adopted children all about their birth background.

Good luck.

Dawn

[shellyesq]

(It is advised when attempting to make contact with people that you use an intermediary to cope with any unforseen problems.   It can be a shock to people. )

Advised by whom?

I am an adoptee in the US who began searching in the 1990's, and from what I have seen here over the years, the advice has moved towards making direct contact yourself with the person you are searching for unless an intermediary is your only viable option.  It may be a shock or surprise with an intermediary or when done yourself.  Contact should certainly be made discreetly and sensitively, no matter which route you take.

If the usual legal channels don't pan out for you, DNA testing is another option to keep in mind.

[KGarrad]

(It is advised when attempting to make contact with people that you use an intermediary to cope with any unforseen problems.   It can be a shock to people. )

Advised by whom?

By the UK Government!

Quoting from their website, https://www.gov.uk/adoption-records:

You can access your birth records if you don’t have them because you were adopted.

You need to be 18 or over to do this.

Everyone adopted before 12 November 1975 will need to attend a counselling session with an approved adoption advisor first.

[shellyesq]

If I'm reading this - https://www.gov.uk/adoption-records/intermediary-agencies - correctly, it says "you can" use an intermediary.  To me, "you can" means it's an option and "it is advised" means that it's suggested as a wiser course of action.  I don't read this as the government saying an intermediary is a better way.

[KGarrad]

"You can access . . ." means it is possible for you to do so.

Then it says "Everyone adopted before 12 November 1975 will need to attend a counselling session with an approved adoption advisor first."

I.E. You won't get anywhere with officialdom unless you follow their procedures.

There are more details on the website I mentioned.

[groom]

Why the cut off date of 1975? Is that because after that adoptive parents were encouraged to tell children that they were adopted? However, to me, that doesn't make sense - surely if you are looking for birth parents, whatever your age, you know that you've been adopted?