Triad members are often asked to explain to lawmakers and others exactly what they want. An adult adoptee pal of mine was asked to speak at a continuing education program for social workers about the adoptee's point of view. Here is one adoptee's answer to that age-old question.

In a perfect world, much of what I am about to say would be moot. The primary thing wrong with search, from my perspective as an adoptee, is the lack of openness. Fortunately, I can say that the lack of honesty that characterized how most agencies handled search inquiries, a little more than a decade ago, is less of an issue today.

Only a decade ago, during the period of 1989-91, my dealings with the local department of social services were characterized by a paternalistic attitude, lies, and outright intimidation

I am glad to say that within a decade, that attitude has changed dramatically. However, the bitter taste it left was such that I would not make my second inquiry through the local office.

The legacy of what I think can be fairly described as socialism, the state knows what is best for its individual citizens, is giving way to more enlightened and straightforward dealings with adoptees who have become adults since they left the guardianship of the agency. But this cannot change fast enough.

Under current legislation, the openness that adoptees, other parts of the triad and probably a majority of professional social workers, would like to see in post-adoption services is not possible. After I my first attempt to use agency services. I’m afraid I would not have had wonderful things to say about the state’s post adoption service. I knew very little first-hand about those of private agencies operating in my state because the legacy left by the “secrecy-preferred” method of operation cast a pall over all members of the social work profession. But I have heard horror stories.