What type of information will be provided

Identifying information about the parties to an adoption

Adoption information and copies of relevant documents will be provided to the adopted person or birth parent (or eligible relative) in a letter.

If information is available, the adopted person or their adoptive parent (if the adopted person is under the age of 18) will receive:

a) Information about:

• their name before the adoption
• their birth mother and birth father, including their:
  • name at the time of the adoption
  • date of birth
  • last known name and address (if they have agreed in writing)
  • any adopted siblings last known name and address (if they have agreed in writing).

b) Copies of:

• a birth parent's consent to the adoption
• a court order removing the need for a birth parent's consent (if applicable)
• the adoption order.

c) An authorisation allowing them to buy a copy of the adopted person's original birth certificate.

d) Any non-identifying information.

If the adopted person is under the age of 18, the adoptive and birth parent/s will need to provide consent and an assessment is required by Adoption Services to determine that giving the information is not likely to be contrary to the child's wellbeing and best interests.  

The birth parent will receive

a) Information about the:

• adopted person's name after adoption
• names of the adoptive parents (at the time of adoption)
• adopted person's last known name and address (if the adoptive parent has agreed in writing).

b) Copies of the following documents (where available):

• a birth parent's consent form to the adoption
• a court order dispensing with the need for a birth parent's consent (if applicable)
• the adoption order.

c) An authorisation allowing them to buy a copy the adopted person’s original birth certificate.

d) Any available non-identifying information will also be provided.

Birth Certificates

Before an adopted person is 18 years old

The child's adoptive parent/s or the birth parent/s require an authorisation from Adoption Services to allow them to buy the adopted person’s original birth certificate held by the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.

This authorisation can only be provided when all the parties to the adoption have given content to the release of their information and an assessment is required by Adoption Services to determine that giving the information is not likely to be contrary to the child's wellbeing and best interests.

The adopted person is an adult

The adopted person will receive an authorisation allowing them to buy a copy of, or get information from, their original birth certificate held by the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.

A birth parent will receive an authorisation allowing them to buy a copy of, or get information from, the adopted person’s amended (after adoption) birth certificate and the adopted child's original birth certificate.

If a copy of an original birth certificate is provided under any of these circumstances, it will be endorsed 'not to be used for official purposes'.

Excluding information from a birth certificate

The authorisation for a birth certificate can state that details on the certificate, (other than identifying information that must be provided under the Act) can be excluded if allowing access to the information would be an unreasonable invasion of a person's privacy or harm their interests.

If this applies, the authorisation Adoption Services provides to the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages will enable information from a certificate, rather than a copy of the certificate itself, to be provided.

Identifying information about the birth father

Identifying information can be provided to an adopted person about their birth father if:

• he consented to the adoption, or the need for his consent was ruled as not required by a court (i.e. dispensed with)
• he is recorded on the original birth certificate as the adopted person's father
• records are contained on the file (for example a Statutory Declaration) that demonstrate he accepted paternity
• there is sufficient evidence to satisfy us that he is more likely than not to be the adopted person's biological father.