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Contents

1. What are Intermediary Services?
2. Who may Apply for Intermediary Services
3. Agreement with NORCAP
4. 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;

Or

• Assistance to a birth relative of an adopted person, when the adopted person is aged 18 or over, and whose Adoption order was made before 30 December 2005, to review information about the adoption; and
• Facilitating contact between such persons and their relatives.

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

1. Establishing that both the applicant and the subject and any full or half-sibling placed with the subject are 18 or over.
2. Undertaking preparatory work with the applicant
3. Obtaining information from a range of sources (adoption agencies, the Registrar General, the Courts)
4. Establishing whether there is any reason whether it would not be appropriate to offer intermediary services
5. Using the information to trace and contact individuals
6. Obtaining the informed consent of the subject to disclose identifying information
7. If consent has been obtained, disclosing to the applicant in appropriate cases any identifying information obtained by the intermediary agency about the subject.
8. Acting as an intermediary between the applicant and the subject and facilitating contact between them
9. Providing counselling, support and advice to both the applicant and the subject about the process.

2. Who may Apply for Intermediary Services

Adopted adults (adopted before 30 December 2005) and their adult birth relatives have the right to apply for an intermediary service. 

3. Agreement with NORCAP

Oxfordshire has a service level agreement with NORCAP, a voluntary adoption agency, to provide intermediary services to Oxfordshire residents requesting such a service.

Where any such requests are received, written information about the availability of counselling and intermediary services from NORCAP and their scale of fees will be provided.  Oxfordshire makes a contribution to the fees charged by NORCAP, but the remainder needs to be paid by the applicant for the service. Applicants must be asked to confirm their wish to proceed on this basis.

The identity and age of the applicant is verified through the production of the persons passport, driving licence or birth/adoption certificate and, where relevant, his or her relationship with the adopted person. This will be completed by NORCAP for the cases they deal with, and by the allocated social worker for their own cases.

4. Registration of Veto by an Adopted Person

Where an application is received from an adopted person who wishes to register a formal veto with the adoption agency, the case should be allocated to an adoption support social worker in the Adoption Team.  The allocated social worker must first verify the identity of the applicant. 

The allocated social worker should then arrange to meet the adopted person in order to clarify the request - a veto may be absolute – i.e. that an intermediary may not make an approach under any circumstances – or qualified i.e. that the subject only wishes an approach to be made by 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.

Where appropriate, and by agreement with the Adoption Support Services Adviser, the counselling may be provided by another adoption agency or registered adoption support agency, for example where an adopted person lives outside the county or is already receiving support from NORCAP.

The social worker must ensure that a written record of the counselling provided and any veto is kept on the persons Adoption Case File.

End