Campaigning

NORCAP has campaigned on behalf of its members for almost a quarter of a century. Its outstanding successes include:-

• Universal right to intermediary services for all adults in the Adoption and Children Act 2002. To be implemented in September 2005 this extends the opportunity to initiate renewed contact with adopted people to all birth relatives and ensures that all adopted people are told when a birth relative enquires about them.
• Exclusive safeguards for adopted adults and adoption support agencies within the new Civil Registration Regulatory Reform Order. Ensuring public records can still be used to enable tracing of relatives separated by adoption to be conducted safely and effectively.
• Obtaining an order from the High Court under the Adoption Act 1976 that led to the reunion of 69 year old triplets, David, Gill and Helena, in June 2002.
• Changes to the planned operation of the Adoption Contact Register when established in 1991 that ensure birth relatives were at least advised when their details were passed to an adopted person.
• Coining the phrase ‘non disclosure agreement’ in 1987. This model enabled many birth relatives to receive intermediary services under voluntary agreements with adoption agencies years ahead of the law being changed. It has formed the model of the new statutory provision.