No luck with search - any suggestions on how to proceed

180567

Hi. Just coming here to see if anyone has any suggestions or advice. I was adopted through the St.Patricks Home on the Navan Road and I had written to the HSE to ask for my non-identifying information 2 years ago and I had a meeting with a HSE social worker last week, but unfortunatly they can't give me any non-identifying information at all. Not even the county my BM was from. I feel so dissapointed. I know they have the information but they say they can't give it to me. I tried explaining to the social worker that I don't want anything more than just finding out where my BM might have come from or even the vaguest information about her and yet they can't give me anything.

I could go to the GRO but I don't even know what I would be looking for. I am wondering would anyone have any advice or suggestions on how I could get the non-identifying information.

THanks for any suggestions .

rinsjwind

Hi

Did you ask the hse if they would do a trace for your bm and ask her if shes ok with giving you identifying and/or background information? they should be willing to do so if you ask them.

You can also formally apply to the AAI for your "original" birth cert, they will then instruct the relevant adoption service to try to find your bm and basically seek her consent for the release of the cert (I know, complete b&^%$xology but if they are doing that anyway it also gives them an opening to ask her some of the other questions that you might have like medical history and if, big if I know, you were interested in more direct contact how she might feel about that.

There is, unfortunately, also the possibility that there really is no useful information that they are allowed share under our f%^&*7g ridiculous adoption laws. Many files from the 1950's and well into the 60's contain very little information about the bm, some as little as her name, an approximate age and address that of the mother and baby home were she was sent which was often as far away from her actual home as possible!. It is also fairly evident, as even some adoption social workers have openly admitted, that the bm's details as recorded on the files such as names and ages were not always 100% accurate. Sometimes this is due to simple messy/careless record keeping in the past but more often, to straight out lies and fabrication of records by the nuns or in some cases, the birth mams themselves or their families.

Alternatively, you do know your date of birth, you also know what gender you are, I hope!!! ; - ) and that you were (probably but not definitely) born in Dublin.

If your dob was anytime after 1966, which I'm guessing from your username it might be :-) then the birth indexes in the GRO will have the surname, forename, mothers maiden name, dob and city/county of birth for each child born in a given year so if you follow the trace guides in the sticky's above you should be able to narrow it down to at worst a small handful of birth records.

However, the birth cert will only have your bm's name so without more info like her dob/age, a home address, names of parents/siblings etc. its very hard to take it further than that on your own unless, of course, you are lucky enough to have a bm called Esmerelda Farquarson or similar : -).

Have you talked to your adoptive parents or relatives about this yet? I realise that can sometimes be a touchy subject but the adoptive parents were often told, or found out by accident, little snippets like first names, a rough idea of nm's age, her family background and the smallest clue can make the difference in a search. Though again as above, take any info that came directly from the nuns with a medium sized pinch of salt!

A lot to think about but there are several adopted peoples support groups around the country who will offer good advice and/or a sympathetic ear and the Barnardos Adoption Service run an excellent course for adoptees who are considering tracing/contact with birth families.

Links/contact details for all the abovementioned should also be in the stickys or just G**gle them.

Good luck.

Rins

The_Conductor

180567 - I don't know if you have tried to find your own birth certificate yourself- we host all the old Adoption Ireland Traceguides here- http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055543715

Download the Adopted Traceguide and print it out.
Its a little outdated- for example the reading room is now on Werburgh Street (where the old dole office used be)- and I can't confirm that the daily charges outlined in the document are still accurate- but its an excellent step-by-step guide to searching for and getting your own original birthcert- and its using fully public resources, that you have every right to access.

I'd strongly encourage you bring a friend to help you- it depends on the year- but there could be as many as 4 books to go through- also- not all of the births were registered in chronological order- and for the peak years of adoption- there could be as many as 4 adopted children of either gender on any particular day- so you really need to keep searching- even when you find an apparent match.

It is very satisfying doing some of this legwork yourself- I'd strongly encourage you to try to do so- if you can at all.

Best wishes,

The_Conductor

180567

Thanks very much for the advice and suggestions. I'll let you know how I get on.

Ghekko

Have you had any luck since? Don't give up! The jigsaw can be put together. Dh wrote to the agency which organised his adoption. He asked specific questions from the examples in the tracing guide and did get answers to enable him to get his birth certificate. It would seem that social workers vary in the info they will give out.