Adopted Adults
Support and information for Adopted Adults over 18 years old
Welcome to the Adopted Adults team who provide advice and support to help adopted adults over 18 years and are looking to:
- Obtain a certified copy of your birth certificate
- Access birth records
- Find out about birth parents and/or relatives
- Contact with birth family/relatives
Our experienced team support adults of all ages, helping them to find out about their past before they were adopted.
Adopt South’s Adopted Adults team manage adopted adult enquiries from residents who live in Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton local authorities. For people living outside our region, please contact your local authority who will like ourselves, obtain information for you.
Further support and independent advice
Alongside our service, you may find it helpful to access other support available to you:
- Family Rights Group - Birth Families Map is an independent charity where you can find local services offering advice, advocacy and support for families.
- Family Connect/Family Help Services is an independent service for anyone impacted by adoption, offering information, guidance, support and signposting to help.
How to contact us
For more information, please contact our Adopted Adults Advice and Support Line on 0370 779 5050.
You can reach us by phone during the following hours:
- Mondays and Wednesdays: 9am–5pm
- Thursdays: 9am–1pm
You can also email us at [email protected]
If you contact us outside of these hours, you are welcome to leave a message at any time, and a member of the team will aim to get back to you within one working day.
Please note that the service is not available on bank holidays.
Contact with birth family
and/or relatives
If you are looking to have some form of contact with your birth family and/or a relative(s), we will support and help you with the process and potential arrangements. Where this is possible, Adopt South will manage the relationship(s) between the adopted person and/or a relative(s). This can be in the form of written communication (letterbox contact) or whereby you meet a relative(s).
In some situations, where both parties agree to meet and the union is successful, both parties can ask us not to be involved with further arrangements. However, support for the adopted adult is always available regardless of the outcome.
