For years the only way for those who were adopted in the state of North Carolina to receive any kind of identifying information about themselves prior to their adoption, was to go through the court system, but starting January 1, 2008 that will all change. North Carolina has set a new law into place, which will allow those who were adopted, including those adopted through the Department of Social Services, access to their records, or even to their birth parents, through the licensed agency that performed their adoption.

Adoptees who are 21 years of age, or older, will be able to contact the agency which handled their adoption, and the agency will act as a liaison between child and biological parent. If one party contacts the agency, the agency will in turn contact that other party involved, and if both agree to meet, the agency's involvement does not stop there. If and when both parties wish to meet each other, the agency will then prepare each side for the meeting, presumably through counseling and other means, as well as arranging the actual meeting and having someone from the agency on hand to act as a
facilitator during the meeting.

The new law reads:

"Further, a child placing agency licensed by the Department or a county department of social services may agree to act as a confidential intermediary for the adoptive parents of a minor adoptee, without appointment by the court pursuant to G.S. 48‑9‑105, to obtain and share nonidentifying birth family health information."

So it would appear that adoptive parents, as well as the adult adoptee, or lineal descendant of the adoptee, such as a child or grandchild can all apply for identifying information.

The downside to all of this, as there is always a downside...money. This new bill comes with no money attached. It is up to the individual agencies to decide not only how much to charge for these services, but how they are going to dole out the extra workload to already bogged down social workers. While the agencies are not required to participate in this new program, at the very least they will be required to direct those looking for these new services, to agencies that can and will help them.

Those involved with making and passing this new bill are expecting mixed feelings from the adoption world, with the majority of those involved with adoption feeling as though this is a positive step. While they are aware that some may be less than thrilled with the new change, it is felt that the positives outweigh the negatives and that the new services will do more good than harm. If only those parties whom are interested in meeting shall meet, than what harm could come, right?