When your adopted child becomes an adult
Advice about how adoptive families can continue to use Keeping in Touch arrangements when a child becomes an adult
When your child turns 18 years of age, they can decide how to continue their Keeping in Touch arrangements. Their options include:
- continuing current arrangements through you
- continuing arrangements directly with birth relatives
- requesting a Keeping in Touch review
- pausing or stopping arrangements
The Keeping in Touch Team will contact your child and will support them until they are 21 or 25 (if they have an Education Health Care Plan). You can contact us at any time to discuss any concerns.
If your child does not want to have contact
There are occasions when a child/young person may request no contact with birth relatives. We will always respect their wishes and discuss their decision with them to better understand how they are feeling and how we can support them.
If this happens, birth relatives and other important people may sign up to the Adoption Contact Register on the General Register Office website.
This register will record that they would like to contact your child, should your child wish to get in touch in the future.
We encourage birth relatives to sign up to the Adoption Contact Register as this enables your child to easily be able to contact them if and when they feel ready.
Frequently asked questions
Can my child meet birth relatives now they are 18 years old?
Yes. It is important that we respect your child’s wishes as to whether they would like any form of face to face contact.
What if they don’t want any more contact?
Your 18+ year old child will have the right to decide what is best for them. This can be very difficult for your child’s birth relatives to hear, but we will always respect your child’s current wishes, just as we will support them if they would like to explore contact again in the future.
Will being on the Adoption Contact Register mean that my child’s contact details will be shared/found?
The Adoption Contact Register is not a tracing service. It will notify birth relatives registered if your adult child has also registered. However, they will not share any contact details. It will be your child’s decision if they wish to contact anyone and share their details.
What is an intermediary service?
This is an approved specialist service provided by local authorities and adoption agencies. The intermediary service acts as a go-between for your child and their birth relatives, and will let the birth relatives know if your child wishes to contact them.
Your child must be over 18 years old, and the agency will not be able to provide any identifying information unless your child agrees.
If your child was adopted before 2005, they will be able to request this service.
If your child was adopted after 2005, there are some different regulations and processes, which our Keeping in Touch Team will be happy to talk through with you.
We understand there is a lot of information to consider, so please do contact our team who will be happy to support you.
Adopt South's Keeping in Touch Advice and Support Line is available Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5pm, and Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm.
- call us on 03707 795 000
- email [email protected]
We aim to reply to you within one working day. We are not open on bank holidays.