Adult Adoptee + Search and Reunion
Search & Reunion Services
Adoption is a path that continues into adulthood, often bringing new questions along the way. At CHS, our Search and Reunion program helps adoptees, birth parents, and adoptive families find answers. Whether you’re asking, “Who am I?”, seeking medical history, or hoping to reconnect, we’re here to support you.
We provide:
- Access to historical and medical records
- Guidance on Virginia adoption laws and your rights
- Support for reconnecting with birth family or a child placed for adoption
- Access to non-identifying information- (heritage summary or redacted record- use the Adoptee Application for Disclosure form below)
The CHS Search and Reunion Program helps adults navigate identity, heritage, and reconnection—with care and legal integrity.
You can review your rights by viewing this document:
Rights of adoptees, birth family, birth parents, and adoptive parents.
The following steps will help you begin your search:
Step 1: Complete the Application for Disclosure, have it notarized, and mail it to the Virginia Department of Social Services Adoption Unit, 5600 Cox Road, Glen Allen, VA 23060. There is a different application for everyone depending upon your relationship to the adoptee.
Step 2: Following receipt of your application, the Virginia Department of Social Services Adoption Unit will assign the agency who facilitated your adoption to conduct the search. If you were adopted through CHS, we will receive your case assignment.
Step 3: CHS will contact you when we receive the case assignment (also known as the Letter of Appointment) from the Adoption Unit. You must then complete our Search and Reunion Fee Agreement and send the completed form, along with a check for the required fee to our office. Once we have received this information, a CHS social worker will contact you to begin your search.
What Happens Next?
- A CHS social worker will speak with you regarding your search, and what has brought you to this courageous point.
- Your adoption will be reviewed by the CHS social worker.
- If the family is located, the social worker will discuss their willingness to connect and explore available options — including updating medical information, exchanging non-identifying letters, or arranging direct contact.
- If family members decline contact, our team must honor their wishes. However, CHS will do our best to gather any information that may help you understand more about the individual or their decision not to connect.
- If the party agrees to have contact, the CHS social worker will facilitate the exchange of non-identifying letters.
- If both parties agree to make direct contact, the CHS social worker will send a report to the Adoption Unit with a recommendation to grant the Application for Disclosure.
- The CHS social worker must wait for written permission from the Adoption Unit before releasing the identifying information. Once written permission is received, the CHS social worker will help facilitate the reunion.
If you have questions or would like additional information, please contact Kristy at [email protected].
