Adoption records

The following information has been supplied by the city council's Community and Social Services Directorate to help people who were adopted as babies or young children and who wish to trace their birth parents.

Under United Kingdom law, anyone who was adopted before 1975 must have an interview with a counsellor before being allowed to receive any information about his or her original birth records. In the first instance, people wishing to trace their original parents should write to the General Register Office (CA Section), PO Box 7, Titchfield, Fareham, Hampshire PO15 5RU, which will send general information, including alternative locations, as to where counselling can take place.

Counsellors are usually social workers who have a special interest in adoption and, as well as giving information about original birth records, may be able to help in tracing. General information about adoption can also be obtained from the city council's Family Placement Team or by contacting After Adoption.

People who have spent many years in care and who also wish to have information about the circumstances of their original families should contact the social services department in the area in which they went into care. A full list of local authorities is available on the UK Online website. Individual authorities vary as to how long their childcare records have been kept but staff will be as helpful as they can in searching for information.

People who were put into the care of Salford Social Services should refer to Adoption and Fostering pages for contact information.

Some people who have been in care for many years may have been in the care of voluntary societies such as Barnardo's or The Children's Society. The Family Records Centre has microfilm copies of indexes of legal adoptions in England and Wales since 1927.

This page was last updated on 3 October 2009