Unfortunately, sometimes families are broken up when siblings are in foster care. There might not be a single family available that can adopt multiple children. As a side effect, sibling relationships often get lost in the shuffle, and many siblings go years or lifetimes without ever seeing each other again. Younger siblings might not be aware of older siblings, and parents who gave children up for adoption can have children later in life who don't know their biological siblings. Adoptees who are looking to find their siblings may have a long road of searching ahead of them, but there are several tools and resources available to make that search a little easier.
Step 1
Talk to your adoptive parents. It's possible your adoptive parents know your birth family or know enough details about your birth family to get you started on your sibling search. Talk to other family members who may remember details about your adoption. Write down everything they tell you because even the smallest clue could be of great use later.
Step 2
Talk to your social worker. If you're involved in the foster care system and you have a social worker, it's possible that your siblings had or have the same social worker or another in the same department. Your social worker will not be able to give you any information about your siblings without their written permission and may not even be able to tell them you're looking for them depending on state laws and agency policies, but she may be able to advise you on how to proceed.
Step 3
Get information from your adoption records. Contact the family court or your state's public records office to access your adoption records. Some states allow you to access the full record after you turn 18 or 21 years old, and some states require a court order to open sealed adoption records. Most states will at least give you access to non-identifying information, which includes your medical history and the details of your adoption without mentioning any names or addresses.
Step 4
Search for public records at the county offices of the places you think you and your siblings lived or currently live. Public records include birth, death and marriage certificates and property records, to name a few. You may be able to request your sibling's birth certificate from the county office, which will list the sibling's adoptive parents.
Step 5
Sign up for adoption search registries. These are databases of information that aim to reunite family members. Enter your personal information and any information you have about your adoption and your siblings, and the database will try to match you with records. The benefit to these types of registries is that if your siblings are also looking for you, you're likely to get a match.
Tips and Warnings
- Consult the Child Welfare Information Gateway for a list of adoption laws and policies by state. If you know the names of your siblings, search sites with millions of users such as MySpace, Facebook, Friendster or LinkedIn.
