The National Adoption Contact Preference Register was established to facilitate contact between adopted people and their birth family. Successful participation with the Register requires voluntary participation from both the family and the adopted person as contact through the register can only be made where both parties register their interest.

The Register allows the parties to elect the level of contact they wish to have and the options include the right to ensure no contact with the other party to the adoption. The Register is maintained by the Adoption Authority of Ireland and the information contained on it is not available to the public. The service is available to persons aged 18 years or over who have been adopted, natural parents of a child who has been placed for adoption, and any natural relative of an adopted person.

While the Adoption (Birth Information and Tracing) Bill 2021 has not yet been passed, it makes provision for the establishment of a robust and comprehensive Tracing Service and a new statutory Contact Preference Register to facilitate contact or share information. The new Contact Preference Register will replace the existing administrative National Adoption Contact Preference Register. It will be a living register which will enable ongoing registering of contact preferences, lodging of information, and information sharing. All current contact preferences lodged with the existing register will be transferred over to the new register.

The Bill, if enacted, is intended to establish a legal right to adoption information and records, including birth certificates, birth and early life information. It aims to create a legal framework to provide for a structured means of access to this information and contact for those affected by adoption. If enacted, it is envisaged that relevant parties will have access to records currently held by various service providers, to be supervised by the Adoption Authority. 

Further Information

For information on the Adoption (Birth Information and Tracing) Bill 2021 Bill, click here.

Further information on the process of tracing and contact is available on the Child and Family Agency and the Adoption Authority websites. The Adoption Authority website provides detailed information on the National Adoption Contact Preference Register, including information on joining the register.

Contacts