Young person
Accessing support
As an adopted young person, you can contact Adopt North East on 0191 643 5000 and speak to a Social Worker to explore support until you are 21 years old, or 25 years old if you have an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
The Social Worker will work alongside you to understand your experiences and needs, and explore possible specialist support available to you. It may be that the Social Worker can build a relationship with you and your family, signpost you to services, or it may be that they can put more specialist therapeutic support in place.
Contact
It is likely that some form of contact arrangement will have been set up at the time of adoption, and research informs us that contact with birth relatives is important and has benefits for those who have experienced adoption. We understand that wishes around contact can change over time, reflective of changing circumstances and relationships.
Exploring young people’s wishes around contact and supporting them in this journey can offer an understanding of their birth relatives, support with managing feelings of loss and separation, and support the exploration of identity and their life story.
However, we acknowledge that contact and wanting to explore contact can create complex feelings for young people and their families.
Adopt North East supports the exploration of contact to make it as safe as possible for young people, their families and birth relatives.
Adult
Access to records
Adoption is a positive experience for most, however adults who were adopted may have questions in relation to their origins and may have struggled with a range of specific issues in their life that they feel relate to their experience of adoption and identity. Many adults who have been adopted may want to explore and talk about how this affected them.
Adopt North East can support adopted adults to access to records if they are over 18 years of age and are resident in the Local Authority area of:
Gateshead Council
Newcastle City Council
North Tyneside Council
Northumberland County Council
South Tyneside Council
If you were adopted by one of these councils but live outside of the area, you will be signposted to the specific council who will deal with your request.
For resident adopted adults, Adopt North East work with and commission PAC-UK, a national organisation with expertise in this area.
“Many adopted adults want to find out more about the reasons for their adoption which can lead to them searching for and sometimes contacting their birth family. We can access adoption records and work through them with you and discuss whether you want to look for your birth family. Our experienced researchers can usually trace birth family members and we can make intermediary contact with them on your behalf, giving a better chance of a good outcome and giving you support through this emotional process. This service offers preparation for possible contact and/or reunion with birth relatives, as well as initiation of contact with birth relatives, in accordance with relevant legislation.”