More than 100 people in Cork applied to new adoption contact preference register last month

A TOTAL of 891 people applied to the Contact Preference Register last month as part of a new initiative supplying adoptees with access to everything from birth certificates to medical information.

The Birth Information and Tracing Act, which came into effect on July 1, applies to everyone who was adopted, boarded out, had their birth illegally registered, or has questions about their origins. Applications can be made through the new register which comes under the umbrella of the Adoption Authority of Ireland. Those wishing to make contact, request privacy, or seek and share information with a relative are all welcome to apply.

Applications

Dublin was the county with the most applications under the new act in July with 253 people registering. This was followed by Cork which had 118 applications, and Meath which saw 48 people apply. The county with the fewest applications was Leitrim with just four.

Of the 891 people who applied to register their preferences in relation to contact, 786 applications were adoptees and 90 were birth parents. A total of 15 further applications were made by relatives. 

Some 820 people had expressed a preference for contact at some level. Meanwhile, 32 people, made up of 24 adoptees and eight relatives, expressed a desire for no contact. A total of 39 applicants (30 adoptees and nine relatives) requested that no contact be made but were willing to share information. 

The oldest applicant to the CPR was 81, while the youngest, aged five, had an application submitted by their adoptive parents. The mean age of both adoptees and relatives was 50.

Positive feedback 

CEO of the Adoption Authority, Patricia Carey, spoke of the positive feedback generated from the initiative.

“We are very encouraged by the number of people who have registered on the Contact Preference Register,” she said.

“These are mostly adoptees — but also birth parents and other relatives — for whom the Birth Information and Tracing Act is a really important piece of legislation. Come October, when the free services under the legislation open, adoptees will finally have the right to access all of their birth information held by the State. This wasn’t the case previously, so it is a big deal. If they have applied to the Contact Preference Register, the Adoption Authority will also be able to facilitate contact between adoptees and birth parents and other relatives.”

She advised anyone seeking information to confide in a trusted friend before making their decision.