Adoption Search Tips

Searching for a Sibling placed for Adoption

8/10/2012 / Susan / Search Tips

One of our most common requests here at Search Quest America comes from siblings who find out late in life that they have a another sibling that was placed for adoption. Some people are shocked that they were not told about the adoption, but most are also excited at the possibility of finding their missing family member.

Many siblings have very little information to start with when they are looking for a sibling placed for adoption so it's imperative that you do preliminary work prior to posting information on the Internet.

When you are in search of a sibling placed for adoption, the first thing you 'must' do is discover his or her date of birth and place of birth (city and state). Very few states have public resources that professionals can access to find birth record information. However do you have a starting point in that you know your parent's name at the time of the birth.

If possible, ask your mother or father for the exact date of birth. Ask if they named the adoptee prior to placement. Adoptees may have their decree of adoption which in all probability lists their name at birth. ... Read More

Tags : Adoption, Adoption Agency, American Adoption Congress, Ask Parents, Birth Index, City of Birth, Date of Birth, Find My Brother, Find My Sibling, Find My Sister, Registry, Reunion Registry, Sibling Search, Troy Dunn, Troy The Locator

Successful Search? Reunion advice for Adoptees

7/17/2012 / Susan / Reunion Tips

If you are an adoptee who has initiated a successful search, you may be confused at what comes next in the reunion process. Most adoptees who start a search NEVER expect to be welcomed by the targeted birth family member. I know when I was facing that all important telephone call to my own birth father, the last thing I expected him to say was, "Hi, I guess I'm your Dad, what took you so long to call me?"

After talking to thousands of adoptees facing the same scenario, one thing is clear. We NEVER expected to be welcomed, and most of us only planned for what to do when our contact was rejected. This leaves us totally at a loss on the steps to take to reintegrate our birth family members into our present lives with as little disruption as possible to our existing family. The Staff at Search Quest would like to offer the following advice:

START SLOW Take baby steps! Your reunion will be a roller coaster of emotions - just be aware of that. Some days you will want all of this NOW and the next day ... Read More

Tags : Adoptee, Adoption, Birth Mother, Found, Reunion, Reunion Advice, Successful Search

Advice for Birth Mothers on Starting a Search

6/19/2012 / Susan / Search Tips

Thank you for your courage in starting a search!

If you are a birth or original mother in search of an adoptee and are just starting your search, or if you have been searching for many years and are frustrated at your lack of success, you should understand that unfortunately in most states, the success of your search can be long and difficult, BUT not impossible.

Your son or daughter may not know very much about you. It's doubtful that the agency gave your name to the adoptee OR the adoptive parents.

Most states 'legally limit' the non-identifying or identifying information that they will provide to the adoptee on request due to sealed records laws. That said, there ARE certain things that YOU can do to help the adoptee find you!

1. Tell all your friends and family about the birth and adoption! If they should receive a letter or a call from someone inquiring about you they are prepared to be welcoming to that party. Make sure they know to request and document the name, address and phone number of the party asking about you. I cannot tell you how many times adoptees and birth ... Read More