An Analysis of Reunifications Between Adopted Adults and Their Birth Relatives

The life-long nature of adoption and recognition of the often-fragile nature of post-reunion relationships, means adoption agencies have a duty of care and moral onus to facilitate comprehensive support services that can be readily accessed. The Health and Social Care (HSC) Trust Post-Adoption Service was established in 1989, in response to the legislative changes brought about by The Adoption (Northern Ireland) Order 1987. This study employed retrospective file analysis and a purposive sample of 15 Case Files, drawn from a 10-year period (2009–2018), to explore reunifications between adopted adults and their birth relatives, from the time of initial involvement and over the longer term. The use of an Advisory Panel of professional experts, a Pilot Study and a specifically created Data Collection Form, enhanced overall rigour and robustness. Thematic analysis of the data identified common themes of curiosity; identity related; meeting the birth mother; and death of adoptive parents/loss; leading to meta-themes of identity and loss. Key findings include the diversity amongst service users accessing the service in terms of their gender, age and life stage; their motivations; the time-restricted nature of current involvement; protracted timescales from initial contact to search is not uncommon; that post-reunion social work involvement saw a marked drop from pre-contact levels, particularly for birth relatives. The study makes a compelling case for a well-resourced service that offers additional pre- and post-reunion support and argues for a more proactive professional approach, with further expansion of existing support provision.