Adoption records

Adoption records document the process of adoption, including the transfer of parental responsibility from the birth parents to the adoptive parents. They may include identifying information about their birth parents, information about their family history and early life, and details about the adoption process. 

Adopted people can obtain information about their adoption and family history upon reaching age 18, including the information needed to obtain a copy of their birth certificate. The framework for accessing information differs between pre-commencement (before 30 December 2005) and post-commencement adoptions (on or after 30 December 2005). Pre-commencement adoption records have a retention period of 75 years from the date of the adoption order. Post-commencement adoption records have a retention period of 100 years. 

The information provided for pre-commencement adopted people relies on the discretion of the adoption agency, balancing the need of the adopted person for information and the expectation of the birth family for privacy.  

Post-commencement, the adopted person has a right to a copy of their Child Permanence Report, which usually contains a significant amount of information, which must be provided without redaction or editing.  Further information can be requested and is subject to a specific regime set out in Sections 56 – 62 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002. 

Adopted people may also have separate children’s social care files, to which data protection legislations apply. Please find out more about accessing children’s social care files here. 

Recommended resources 

• Archives and Records Association: The records of adopted and care-experienced people   
• Adoption Search Reunion website 
• Making Connection’s (Barnardo’s) 
• Building stronger families – Family Connect (PAC-UK) 
• Lifelong Issues for Adopted People – Duties on Adoption Agencies and Arrangements under Adoption Regionalisation 

Accessing records for care-experienced and adopted people in England and Wales 

This participatory session aimed to shape best practice guidance for managing care-experienced and adopted people’s records in England and Wales. A critical need for improvements in managing these records has been identified by many recent reports including the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA). 

Many care-experienced or adopted people reconstruct their personal histories by turning to the records created about them by social workers and care providers. Thousands of requests to view records for this purpose are made each year in England and Wales. The records – a “paper self” - have significant impacts on a care-experienced person throughout their life. However, accessing social care records is often difficult, both practically and emotionally, and can be traumatic and dehumanizing. 

CoramBAAF Conversations 

Listen to Augusta Itua, our Legal Consultant, in conversation with Dr Julia Feast OBE. They talk us through the current barriers and support available to care experienced and adopted people wanting to access their records.  Listen to the recording below, or click here to watch the recording.

Social Work Week Event: Writing about children - recognising how language can impact a child’s journey

The webinar examined how social workers write about children and young people. Care experienced adults report that reading their files can be hugely impactful for them. We discussed how language used when describing a child and their experiences can be interpreted at a later date.

The session focused on a strength-based approach to writing about children, articulating qualities to celebrate and nurture, in addition to support needs.