Adopted Adults Tracing & Contacting Birth Relatives

If you were adopted in Northern Ireland, you can apply for your original birth certificate when you reach the age of 18. You can also place yourself on a register to allow birth relatives to contact you if you wish

Trusts also provide Post Adoption Support Services for adoption children. This includes specialist Therapeutic Intervention via their Looked After and Adopted Children Therapeutic Teams.

Adopted Adults over 18 years old can access their birth records and you can add your details to the Contact register.

If you were adopted in Northern Ireland, your local Health and Social Care Trust (HSC) or registered Adoption Agency can provide a Counselling Service to support you make connections with your birth family, through providing an intermediary service.

Contact details for local HSC Trusts are:

Belfast Trust :     Karen Simpson (028) 9504 0350

Northern Trust :    Caroline Turley (028) 9442 6196

South Eastern Trust :   Karen Leonard (028) 9127 0672

Southern Trust :    Joan McGuinness or Tara Murphy (028) 3756 6125

Western Trust :     Roisin Lynch (028) 7131 4235 or Anita McBirney (028) 8283 5114

If you are unsure which Trust Area :  See here

Adoption agency case records are distinct from court records. They are also distinct from birth and adoption registration records and from records held, for example, by mother and baby institutions. However, as part of the adoption tracing process, it is usual practice for Health and Social Care Trusts and voluntary adoption agencies to seek information held, for example by courts or by mother and baby institutions.

It is not possible for Trusts or voluntary adoption agencies to access records held outside the jurisdiction of the UK.

For any enquiries with adoption tracing in the Republic of Ireland see:

The Adoption Authority of Ireland

TUSLA - Child and Family Agency

You can also contact the Regional Adoption and Fostering Service on 0800 0720 137.

Health and Social Care Adoption and Fostering website

Registered Adoption Agencies:

Family Care Society  : Derry (028) 7136 8592  Belfast : (028) 9069 1133

email@familycaresociety.org  Family Care Adoption Services website

Adoption Routes :  (028) 9073 6080     email: info@adoptionroutes.co.uk                          Adoption Routes website

Adopt NI is an independent Northern Ireland charity providing support to the adoption and looked after communities.

Tel : (028) 9045 4222 email: info@adoptni.org    Adopt NI website