| On 30 December 2005, Section 98 of the | | | | adoption support agencies. Such agencies |
| Adoption and Children Act 2002 came into force | | | | investigate the identities and locations of |
| in England and Wales, giving birth relatives of | | | | sought-after family members and then approach |
| adopted persons the legal right to use | | | | the found individuals to determine if they would |
| intermediary services to locate and attempt | | | | like to have contact with the relatives who |
| contact with their adopted relatives. According to | | | | initiated the searches.The first step an |
| the Act, birth relatives include the birth parents, | | | | intermediary agency takes when it receives an |
| grandparents, brothers, sisters, uncles, and aunts | | | | application for intermediary service is to verify |
| of adopted persons. Section 98 also gives | | | | that both the birth relative and the adopted |
| adopted adults the legal right to use intermediary | | | | person are 18 years old or older. It then must |
| services to locate and attempt contact with their | | | | obtain information about the adopted adult and |
| birth relatives.Until the early 1970s, many | | | | the circumstances of the adoption from a variety |
| unmarried mothers were forced by their families | | | | of official sources, including the adoption agency |
| to place their children for adoption against their | | | | that performed the adoption (or the agency that |
| wishes. Section 98 gives these women and their | | | | has the adoption records), the Registrar General, |
| relatives the opportunity to trace their adopted | | | | and the involved courts. Additionally, the agency |
| family members and find out what has happened | | | | must determine how the adopted adult, the |
| to them since the adoptions took place. It also | | | | adoptive parents, and any other interested parties |
| works the other way, enabling adopted adults to | | | | feel about being approached by the intermediary |
| locate and learn about their birth families. In both | | | | agency (i.e., Are they interested in being found, or |
| cases, the tool for tracing relatives is intermediary | | | | are they willing to establish contact with the birth |
| services.Intermediary services can be provided by | | | | relatives?). |
| registered adoption agencies and registered | | | | |