How to Find Adopted Kids

If you have had a member of your family that was adopted, and you want to find them now, there are some basic steps you'll need to take. Children are adopted for many reasons. Many young people who have children, and feel that they cannot provide for them, choose adoption as a way to make sure that the child has the best possible chance at life's opportunities. Often, the biological parents of adopted children want to meet them later in life, or vice versa.

Things You'll Need

• Notebook
• Internet access

Instructions

1. Write down any information you have about the birth or adoption of the child. Write down details of people involved, including adoptive parents, attorneys, family members and social workers. Also write down information on the birth hospital, birth date and birth name. Any information you have or remember at all will help you.

2. Speak with people who may have more information. Try talking to your family, friends, family doctor at the time of the adoption, the doctor who delivered the child and the family attorney. Ask those people if they can help fill in any information you don't have. Ask about the child, the adoption agency, and the adoptive parents. Information is your greatest tool when finding people.

3. Follow up on any leads you have. If a certain person or company was talked about with the people you approached, try to investigate it further. Follow up on any vital statistics by searching public records at health departments and courthouses in the area of the adoption.

4. Search online databases for any information about the adoption of the child. Most online services are free, and can be searched by the child or the birth parent (see Resources section).

5. See a counselor for support as well, because the search can become quite stressful, and so can the actual reunion with your adopted child.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't fall for scams. Make sure that any service offered by a company or investigator is something that you absolutely could not do on your own.

• Sometimes, it can be impossible to find children who were adopted if all of the information was kept confidential. Be prepared for some frustration and disappointment in these cases.

References

• Omni Trace
• My Reunion Coach

Resources

• Investigator Confidential
• International Soundex Reunion Registry
• Gene Search