Frequently Asked Questions - Post Adoption

It was established as a means for adult adoptees and birth relatives to contact each other. Contact between adoptees and birth relatives can be facilitated if both parties place their name on the register. We also conduct searches on behalf of both adoptees and birth relatives for each other.

You may place your name on the register by completing the registration form available on this site or by contacting us (see contact information) to obtain a registration form

It is information taken from the files kept at the time of the adoption, not current information. It is not intended to reveal the identity of another person.

For an adoptee or adoptive parent, non-identifying information on the birth family may include: the physical descriptions of the birth parents, their age and educational level, their religion, racial origin, interests, relationship, medical histories, circumstances at the time of the adoption and any other information considered non-identifying.

For a birth parent or birth sibling, non-identifying information on the adoptive family may include the age and educational level of the adoptive parents, the length of their marriage, whether they had other children, their motivation to adopt, their religion and interests as well as other information considered non-identifying.

Adoptees 19 years of age or over, adoptive parents, birth parents and birth siblings.

Any information which would tend to reveal the identity of another person, including a person’s name, address and telephone number as well as other information considered identifying by the Department.

Identifying information can be disclosed with the written consent of the person to whom it pertains.

Yes you may remove your name from the register at any time by sending your request in writing.

Each province maintains it own adoption records so you must register for Post Adoption Disclosure Services in the province where your adoption was finalized through the court.

You may request a search for a birth relative who has not registered.

We will make every effort to locate your birth relative but if we are unsuccessful, you will be advised.

You will both be given an opportunity to exchange letters and photos via Post Adoption Services. It will be necessary for both you and your birth relative to sign a written consent before identifying information can be exchanged between you.

We will attempt to connect you with another birth family member. If all close birth family members are also deceased, you can be provided with identifying information on your deceased birth relative.

The service is a voluntary one so if a birth relative refuses contact, their decision is respected and no information that identifies them will be divulged.

Whatever medical history that was recorded in the file at the time of the adoption will be included in the non-identifying information provided to an adoptee, but in older adoptions this is usually very limited. An adoptee can also request a priority medical search.