www.wiltshire.gov.uk
Services to adopted adults - intermediary services
Accessing your adoption records (adopted adults)
Wiltshire County Council provides adopted adults over the age of 18 years, who live in Wiltshire, with a service to assist them in accessing their adoption records.
The adopted adult should contact the Office of National Statistics in the first instance, requesting access to information from their records.
The ONS will take details from the applicant and then send all relevant information to the local authority in which the applicant lives.
The information received from the ONS will include details of any contacts made to the Adoption Contact Register by birth relatives.
Wiltshire County Council will allocate this work to a suitably qualified and experienced Family Placement Officer to work with the applicant in enabling them to reach decisions about accessing their records.
The adopted adult may choose to inform their adoptive parents and family that they are going through this process, but it is not a requirement.
This can be a very emotional time for an adopted adult and the Family Placement Officer’s role as a neutral person with knowledge and experience in this field can be a valuable sounding board.
Intermediary services for adopted adults
Where an adopted adult decides, after having accessed their adoption records, that they wish to proceed and try to trace birth family members, this work will be referred to PACT, with whom WCC has an agreement, or the adopted adult may decide to use the services of NORCAP. Both are registered Adoption Support Agencies.
The adopted adult may feel confident to undertake tracing on their own behalf, and there are other sources of advice including Register Offices which can be applied to.
Meeting with a birth relative after many years can be challenging and applicants are advised to take the process slowly, using whatever advice they feel comfortable with. They should think matters through carefully, including potential consequences, not only for the adopted person but for other members of their birth and adoptive family.
Adopted adults who were adopted in Wiltshire but no longer live in Wiltshire should seek advice from the local authority in the area where they live with regard to accessing intermediary services.
Contact Details
By Post
Adoption
Children
& Families branch
Wiltshire County Council
County Hall, Bythesea Road
Trowbridge
Wiltshire
BA14 8JB
By Email
By Telephone
01225 713000
By Fax
01225 713145
