Introduction

You may be surprised to hear that adopted people's human rights are being breached by both church and state in Ireland today. Unlike any other members of Irish society, adopted people have to endure an unjustifiably arduous ordeal just to get their birth certificates. Incredibly, they are denied access to their files and are even excluded from the Freedom of Information Act.

Following on from the 2003 Adoption Legislation Consultation, a Post Adoption Bill is reportedly in the pipeline and we hope it will address the above issues.

However, in the meantime, adopted people are at the mercy of adoption agencies, many of whom are at best inefficient and at worst dishonest. It is therefore not surprising that many people will choose to trace for themselves, usually with far greater success than many adoption agencies, despite having less information.

We encourage you to read this Tracing Handbook carefully and contact us if you have any questions.

Reunion or Information?

If you are reading this document you may have decided you want to trace your natural mother (and/or natural family) or you might be in the process of deciding whether you want to trace or not. Many people feel they just want information to begin with and then wish to take time to consider any further action. Whatever situation you are in, the decisions are yours to make in your own time.

In a moment, we will be discussing the merits of tracing for yourself as opposed to asking an agency to trace for you. One of the main advantages to tracing for yourself is the fact that in most cases you can get as far as knowing your original identity and your natural mother's identity without having to approach your natural mother or other natural family members. Many adopted people will do their research first and then decide whether they are ready for reunion or not, as it is a safe way of approaching things gradually. Whatever you decide, take your time and make a choice that you are comfortable with.

Support

You are embarking on an exciting journey, one that can be both exciting and stressful and it is unwise to go it alone. We advise that you avail of as much support as possible through family, friends and ASNI's services listed in Section 3, Next Steps.

Emotional Preparation

We also advise that you emotionally prepare yourself for your trace as much as possible by reading books such as The Primal Wound by Nancy Verrier. Additional reading material can be found in the reading list in the Appendices.

Agency Trace or Own Trace?

As you embark on your trace, you have a choice. Do you want your adoption agency to trace for you, or do you wish to do your own trace? There are pros and cons to each option and we will set some of these out below to help you make your decision.

Agency Trace
Pros	Cons
Agency has identifying information	No control over your trace
	Long waiting lists
	Agency dictates the pace
	Often inappropriate handling of tracing & reunion process
	Agency may have shut down
	Slow progress using an agency to trace
	Not as healthy for others to trace for you
	Identifying information and no reunion is not an option