Many birth relatives need to find out about a relative placed for adoption and possibly have contact with them. Essex has been providing an intermediary service for many years but now birth families have the legal right to ask for this service.
However, you need to understand:
- that the adopted adult will decide whether they wish to meet you or have information about themselves shared with you.
- the law says we must give priority to relatives of people adopted before 12 November 1975.
The service provided through the Essex Adoption Service is free. However there may be a cost involved if you need to hire a tracing agency to find the adopted person.
What do I need to do?
You should contact the Post Adoption Team, in writing, giving as much information as possible. This should include:
- The birth date and birth name of the adopted person
- The court where an adoption order was made
- The date the adoption order was made
- The names of the birth mother (and father if known)
Please include your full address and a daytime telephone number.
The address to send this to is:
Post Adoption Team
EUG County Hall
Market Road
Chelmsford
Essex CM1 1LX
Tel: 01245 436311
Fax: 01245 436317
You can also register a wish for contact on the Registrar General's Adoption Contact Register. There is a charge for this. Contact:
Other voluntary organisations such as NORCAP may also offer an intermediary service although there will be a charge for this. These organisations need to be registered with
Ofsted. Ofsted has a full list of all registered providers.