with Suzanne Clark, MS

Tuesday, the 22nd of June 2004

The opinions and statements made in this chat session belong to the individuals posting them and appear in unedited form to promote the free exchange of information. However, they may not represent the views and/or policies of the Georgia Center for Resources and Support.

Shannon H: Welcome everyone, to tonight's chat. With us is Suzanne Clark, a social worker with the Georgia Adoption Reunion Registry. Suzanne, could you start us off by telling us about the Reunion Registry?

Suzanne: Sure.

Suzanne: The Reunion Registry is a service to all members of the adoption triad.

cindy: - has joined the chat -

Suzanne: We provide a common place for adoptees, birth parents to register and possibly reunite

Shannon H: How many people do you get requests from on average per year?

Suzanne: We provide summaries to adoptees, 18 yrs and older that detail the circumstances surrounding their adoption

Shannon H: Does the person asking for assistance need to have been placed in Georgia, or can you work with other states as well?

Suzanne: We also perform searches for adoptees, as well as birth parents

Suzanne: We provide service to anyone who's adoption was finalized in Georgia

Suzanne: We refer others to the appropriate state registry if their adoption was not finalized in GA

cindy: what kind of information do you need to begin your search?

JudyR7: Do both the bio parents and the adoptee have to be registered in ordered to be contacted by you?

Suzanne: We ask that you first request you non-identfying summary for $35

Suzanne: We research everything based on your adoptive parents name and your birth day

Suzanne: No. The Birth parents do not have to be registered to be contacted

Suzanne: A search is $300. We do our best to locate and contact your birth parent

Suzanne: Once they are contacted, we offer them 3 options

JudyR7: If the birth parents make contact with you do you search for the adoptee or does the adoptee have to contact you first?

Suzanne: Last summer the law changed that now allows birthparents to search

Suzanne: They go through the same process an adoptee would to intiate a search

Suzanne: We have a website www.ga-adoptionreunion.com

Shannon H: Interesting! Has it made things easier at the registry for this change to occur?

Suzanne: I wouldn't say easier, but definitely has offered a lot of relief to birth parents who were separated from their children

Shannon H: What are the three options you mentioned?

Suzanne: Oh, Sorry about that

chatadmin: How does the staff herlp the adoptee manage all the emotions that surface with a search?

Suzanne: Birth parents are given 3 options when we locate them. They may consent to contact with their child

Suzanne: This consent allows our agency to provide the adoptee with their B-parents identifying info

Suzanne: The 2nd option allows the B-parent to use the Registry as an intermediary to correspond with their child

Suzanne: The 3rd option is to deny contact all together

Gigi: What about a person who is looking for a sibling that has been adopted?

Suzanne: We offer support services to everyone we work with

JudyR7: On the brochure that I have the age is listed as 21 has the age changed to 18 or is there info availble at differant ages?

Suzanne: We have a monthly support group, and we also provide individual counseling over the phone as the search/reunion is occuring

Shannon H: Do the reunions ever take place at your office, or are they arranged by the people involved at another location?

Suzanne: You must be 21 to search, 18 to request non-id information

Suzanne: We also do sibling searches

Suzanne: If the both siblings are 21 or older

Suzanne: No, we don't do reunions at our office - although we'd like to see every reunion as it happens

Suzanne: We typically arrange the initial phone contact, and then let the reunited take it from there

Shannon H: Such a multi-faceted office! Someone asked how you help the callers emotionally earlier. Can you speak to that?

Suzanne: We have a monthly support group, and we also provide individual counseling over the phone as the search/reunion is occuring

Suzanne: We also have articles that we send to everyone we contact

Suzanne: They involve all aspects of search and reunion, expectations and fears, etc

Suzanne: We spend a lot of time on the phone

Suzanne: Our support group is well attended, and seems to be very beneficial to those who attend.

Suzanne: Triad members are very helpful to one another - they can really understand

Shannon H: What advice would you give someone who doesn't know where to start? Would you connect them to the support group first?

Suzanne: We are a small staff, only 3 of us. My boss is an adoptive parent, and I'm an adoptee, so we try to bring our own personal experiences into our work

Suzanne: Coming to the support group first is a great idea

JudyR7: Is there support groups throughout the state or just in Atlanta?

Suzanne: Also, just calling to talk to us about your concerns

Suzanne: Ours is in Midtown. I'm not sure about others in the state

Suzanne: I know of another triad group, but it is also in Atlanta

Shannon H: I think there might be small ones around the state? Does anyone else know of any in their region?

Shannon H: What other changes have occurred besides the birthparent search opportunity?

Suzanne: I guess I should have mentioned that there is no fee just to register with is

Suzanne: Really that is the most significant change.

Suzanne: Other important changes involve the age at which you are permitted to request non-id info.

Suzanne: It used to be 21, and is now 18

JudyR7: At what age can an adoptee register with you?

Suzanne: The Reunion Registry has only been around since 1990

Suzanne: 21

Suzanne: I'm sorry, 18.

Shannon H: Are you getting many calls from those adopted internationally, and how are those handled? I expect that is far more difficult.

Suzanne: They have to be 21 to search

cindy: at what point can an adopted parent contact you for info?

Suzanne: In the year I have been with the registry, I have not handled an international request - but I'd imagine it would be the same as a domestic request

Suzanne: An adoptive parent may contact us at any time for information about their adopted child

Suzanne: Regardless of their child's age

JudyR7: What type of information would you have available for an adopted parent?

Suzanne: We would write a non-id summary just as we would for an adoptee - it would include birth parent descriptions, any medical information, circumstances of the adoption, and details of the child at the time of birth and while in foster care

Shannon H: I have talked with several birth parents and their fears re being contacted are surprisingly similar. What do the majority of adoptees want to know most about their adoption story or their birth parents?

Suzanne: We comb the file for info we feel the adoptive parent may find relevant - that is also were the personal experience of our staff is so valuable

Suzanne: Both.

Suzanne: Generally they want to know why they were placed

Suzanne: and how their birth parent is today

Kim: - has joined the chat -

Suzanne: I think the most common question we have from adoptees for their birth parent is "Have you thought about me?"

Shannon H: The most common fear from birth parents I have spoken to is that they are afraid their child is angry at them for the placement? Have you met with that from the adoptees?

Suzanne: Many birth parents fear that their child is going to contact them, gather a little bit of information, and then disappear from their lives all over again

cindy: do you allow the adopted parent to act on be half of the child to get in contact with the birth family?

Suzanne: No, most adoptees aren't angry at all - but we do find that to be a very common misconception on the part of the birthparent

Suzanne: No. Adoptive parents may not search on behalf of their child

Suzanne: We had one try once

Suzanne: Her son was 30

Shannon H: When do the support groups meet that you facilitate?

Suzanne: The support groups meets monthly at Families First on W. Peachtree

Suzanne: The schedule is on our website. www.ga-adoptionreunion.com

Shannon H: They should probably call you for further information, or call Families First?

Suzanne: Don't hesitate to call - 404.657.3555

JudyR7: Do you provide emotional support for adoptee and birthparent that has reconnected outside the reunion registry?

Suzanne: Absolutely.

Shannon H: How far back do the records go? I would imagine there are several much older adoptees out there that might be seeking information even now.

Suzanne: We have records into the 20's and 30's.

Suzanne: Anyone whose adoption was finalized prior to 1941 may access their file without court order

Shannon H: In the case of a sibling search, what is done? You may have answered this already.

Suzanne: We handle a sibling search like any other. When we contact the sibling, they are given the same options that a birth parent or an adoptee would be given

Shannon H: Same with aunts and uncles, cousins, etc?

Gigi: Can a child search for their parents bio parent?

Suzanne: There are provisions for certain family members to search if an adoptee is deceased

Suzanne: Yes. A child may seach for their parents bio parents if the adopted person is deceased

Suzanne: Also, birth grandparents may search if the birth parent is deceases

Shannon H: But if they are not deceased, they can't?

Suzanne: And, a sibling of an adopted person may search for their bio relative who was adopted

Suzanne: Correct.

Shannon H: How often do birth relatives add to the file such things as health history and that sort of thing?

Suzanne: Occasionally, but not that often

Shannon H: Not that I think alot of the files have pictures of birth family members in it, but can those be shared and how would they be classified? I figure they are pretty identifying, but maybe not.

Suzanne: I meant to say earlier - we have a toll free number - 1.888.328.0055

Suzanne: We can't share them, unfortunately. But, all of our record are on microfilm, so the pictures are really poor quality

Kim: If an adoptive parent needs to find out more information than was given them as in health matters , is this possible?

Suzanne: We do share letters from birth parents to their child, if they are in the record

Suzanne: An adoptive parent can request that we pull the record to see if there is additional med info, but we cannot contact the birth parent for this purpose

Suzanne: In extreme cases, adoptive parents petition the courts

Kim: What kind of information can be obtained if the adoptive parents petition the courts?

Shannon H: I would think that would be appropriate in the case of some serious illnesses. Do you encourage birth parent to add any new information about health issues that have arisen since the placement occurred? That is, while you do the search for their birth child?

Suzanne: They would petition the court to have the record opened, which would give them access to everything in the record

Suzanne: Not really - if we are searching for their child then we would be able to tell the adoptee directly

Suzanne: Even if the adoptee doesn't want contact, we still try to relay any info the birth parent has provided to us.

Suzanne: Part of searching involves the person searching to write a letter to the person they are searching for. We read that letter at our initial contact

Suzanne: The person searching also gives us a list of questions they would like answered - even if a person doesn't want contact, we still try to let them hear the letter and answer the questions

Shannon H: Is there a high percentage of folks who don't want to be found, and do they state why that is?

Kim: You read the letter even if the adoptee does'nt want the information?

Suzanne: Not a high percentage, but it does happen

Suzanne: We ask permission, but do our best to get the letter read

Shannon H: At least if they are not ready for a letter, they have the option of coming back for it later, I guess.

Suzanne: The birth parents who deny contact mainly are just not equipped to revisit all of the pain involved in revisiting what they went through when they intially made the adoption plan

Suzanne: Also, many birth parents have not told their current families

Shannon H: Any final questions for Ms. Clark? Our hour is almost up and I want to be sure everyone gets their chance!

Suzanne: Adoptees that don't want contact mainly are concerned with betraying their adoptive family

Suzanne: I would encourage anyone that is interested in any aspect of reunion to call us.

Suzanne: And/or come to one of our support groups

Shannon H: Well, thank you for your time and incredible wealth of information, Suzanne! Can you run your number and website address once again?

Suzanne: Sure.

Suzanne: My direct number is 404.657.3587

Suzanne: Our main number is 404.657.3555 or 1.888.328.0055

Gigi: Thank you so much for all your information. Have a good night!

Suzanne: Our website is www.ga-adoptionreunion.com

JudyR7: Thank you! This was very informative.

Suzanne: You too. Good night.

Suzanne: Glad to hear it.

Shannon H: Thank you so much. I'm sure you have generated a great deal of interest in this! Thanks to everyone for coming online! Goodnight.

cindy: thank you for this informatuon

Suzanne: I enjoyed it. Thank you for having me.