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Contents

1. What are Intermediary Services?  
2. Who may Apply for Intermediary Services?  
3. Registration of Veto by an Adopted Person

1. What are Intermediary Services?

Intermediary services are defined as:

• Assistance to an adopted person aged 18 or over, whose adoption order was made before 30 December 2005, to obtain information in relation to his or her adoption; and
• Facilitating contact between such persons and their relatives

Local authorities do not have a statutory duty to provide such a service but where they do so, OFSTED should be notified.

Intermediary agencies and those involved in providing information to such agencies may charge a fee. 

In all cases, the provision of an intermediary service involves:

1. Establishing that both the applicant and the subject are 18 or over.
2. Undertaking preparatory work with the applicant, including the provision of information about the available services and the possible impact of using them, including the Adoption Contact Register and qualified and absolute vetoes (as set out in Section 5, Registration of Vetoes)
3. Obtaining information from a range of sources (adoption agencies, the Registrar General, the Courts)
4. Using the information to trace and contact individuals
5. Obtaining the informed consent of the subject to disclose identifying information
6. If consent has been obtained, disclosing to the applicant in appropriate cases any identifying information obtained by the intermediary agency about the subject.
7. Acting as an intermediary between the applicant and the subject and facilitating contact between them
8. Providing counselling, support and advice to both the applicant and the subject about the process.

2. Who may Apply for Intermediary Services?

Adopted adults and their adult birth relatives have the right to apply for an intermediary service. 

Applicants for intermediary services must be advised that intermediary services are not directly provided by the Wakefield Adoption Team and should be advised of registered agencies providing such services, e.g. After Adoption Yorkshire.

3. Registration of Veto by an Adopted Person

A Veto is an expressed wish by an adopted person that he or she does not wish to be approached by an intermediary agency on behalf of a birth relative who is seeking contact. It can only be sought and registered by adopted adults who were adopted before 30 December 2005. A formal Veto is not necessarily lifelong but will remain in place until the adopted person chooses to amend or withdraw it.

Where an adopted person (adopted before 30 December 2005) wishes to register a formal Veto, the allocated social worker must first verify the identity of the applicant.  The Veto may be absolute – i.e. that an intermediary may not make an approach under any circumstances – or qualified i.e. that an approach should only be made on behalf of specified people or in specified circumstances. 

The social worker must offer counselling to the applicant and ensure that the applicant fully understands the implications of the Veto – particularly where the veto is absolute.  The social worker should also explain the right to amend, or withdraw the veto at any time and the steps required to do so.

A written record of any veto must be kept on the person’s Adoption Case Record.

End