Some adoption agencies are now offering “post-adoption services”. In some cases, this includes searches.

Here are a few facts to remember about agency searches:

 Depending on state law, searches may only be offered on the behalf of the adoptee. However, some states and/or agencies will provide searches for birth or adoptive parents, siblings and/or other birth relatives.

 All the agencies that I have found that offer searches charge a fee for this service. Some may provide special hardship waivers, however, I imagine that waiving the search fees is highly unusual. The search fees vary; however, they tend to run as high as $525 or more.

 Agencies are able to initiate searches only in those states that allow them to do so. I am not certain, but, I believe that only the states that have the confidential intermediary system are able to offer searches. In states with the intermediary system in place, there are also organizations such as WARM which also are legally able to access the necessary information for a search. To check specific state laws, try REUNITE.

 The best way to determine whether the agency involved in either your or your child’s adoption is to check with the agency or the state website.

Nearly every state that I have checked on has information about access to adoption records on their website. Some states have extensive information about access. Others have either scant information or it is incredibly difficult to locate on their website.

In researching this post, I did some random checking, including some of the larger well-known adoption agencies in several states. I wanted to provide a sampling to give some indication as to some of the agencies that do offer searches. Here is some of what I found:

 Children’s Home Society – does searches in at Washington and Florida. They may also offer searches in other states that have the confidential intermediary system. They charged my son $500 to search for me, plus extra fees for the non-identifying information. It took them 9 months to locate me. A friend of mine spent several years with CHS trying to locate his birth mom.

 Catholic Charities – does searches in some states. Here is the link for their post-adoption services in Denver. http://www.catholiccharitiesdenver.org/services/searchadoptees.cfm

 Mississippi Children's Home Services
http://www.mchscares.org/search.htm

 The Cradle in Illinois
http://www.cradle.org/post_search.html

 Holt International helps with International searches. http://www.holtintl.org/adoptees/search.shtml

 Child and Family Services – Michigan
http://www.cfsm.org/postadoption.htm

Some agencies require give identifying information to each party once they receive waivers and/or releases. Other agencies stay involved as a go-between for a period of time and do not provide identifying info immediately.

I offer this information as a sampling to indicate some of the agencies that offer searches and how the process works. Keep in mind that over the years, some laws have changed to allow greater access. Therefore, if you checked with an agency several years ago, you might consider trying again in case the laws have changed in your state. The attitudes are changing too and some agencies are more helpful and supportive of searches.