How Do I Find Birth Parents for Adoption?

Whether you are a prospective adoptive family hoping to connect with an expectant parent, or an adult adoptee ready to learn where you came from, the search for birth parents follows real, established paths in Washington. Knowing which door to knock on saves time and heartache.

The phrase "find birth parents" actually covers two very different situations, and the right approach depends on which one you are in. Some people are trying to build an adoption and want to be matched with a birth parent who is planning to place a child. Others were adopted years ago and now, as adults, want to locate the biological family they were separated from. Washington law treats these two paths differently, so it helps to be clear about your goal before you start.

Building an Adoption: Where Matches Happen

If you are hoping to adopt and want to connect with an expectant parent considering placement, you have three main avenues in Washington: licensed adoption agencies, the state child welfare system, and private attorneys who handle independent adoptions.

Licensed private agencies are the most common starting point for a planned adoption. They recruit and counsel expectant parents, screen prospective adoptive families through a home study, and handle the matching process. A good agency supports both sides of the placement and keeps the process ethical and legal from the first conversation through finalization.

The Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families, known as DCYF, is the path for adopting children in foster care. These are children whose birth parents' rights have already been addressed through the dependency system, and the state is seeking permanent adoptive homes. This is a distinct process from a newborn placement, and it often involves children who have waited a long time for a family.

Independent, or private, adoptions are arranged directly between a birth parent and an adoptive family, usually with attorneys guiding each side. Even in an independent adoption, Washington requires a preplacement report, and the court must approve the placement. An attorney's role is to make sure consents are valid, deadlines are met, and the final decree holds up. For families in Snohomish County, an independent adoption still runs through the county superior court, so local legal guidance matters.

Adult Adoptees Searching for Birth Family

The more emotionally charged version of this question comes from adults who were adopted as children and now want to find their biological parents or relatives. Washington has built a careful framework that tries to honor both the adoptee's desire to know and the birth parent's privacy. That balance is spelled out in chapter 26.33 RCW.

The most direct tool for many adoptees is a copy of their original birth certificate, the one created before the adoption sealed the record. Under RCW 26.33.345, the Department of Health will provide a noncertified copy of the original birth certificate to an adoptee eighteen or older on request. For adoptions finalized after October 1, 1993, the copy is released unless the birth parent filed an affidavit of nondisclosure before July 28, 2013, or a contact preference form declining release, and only if that document has not expired. For adoptions finalized on or before October 1, 1993, the same access opened up after June 30, 2014, again subject to any unexpired contact preference form. That original birth certificate often carries the birth parent's name, which can be the key that unlocks the rest of a search.

The same statute gives birth parents a voice in how contact happens. A birth parent may file a contact preference form at any time, choosing among several options: to be contacted directly, to be contacted only through a confidential intermediary, or to decline contact while still allowing the birth certificate to be released, or to decline both. If a birth parent files that form within six months after an adoptee first requests the original birth certificate, the Department of Health forwards it, along with an updated medical history form, to the adoptee.

Using a Confidential Intermediary

When a direct records request does not do the job, Washington offers a more hands-on option: the confidential intermediary. Under RCW 26.33.343, an adopted person over twenty-one, or a birth parent or member of the birth parent's family after the adoptee turns twenty-one, may petition the court to appoint a trained, court-approved intermediary. That intermediary searches for the person being sought and makes a discreet, confidential inquiry about whether they will consent to being contacted.

The design of this process protects everyone. The intermediary does not hand over names on demand. Instead, they locate the person, ask privately whether that person consents to disclosure, and report back to the court. Only if the person being sought signs a written consent may the court order their identity released to the petitioner. If the person refuses, that refusal is reported and the search stops without judicial approval. The intermediary must complete training and file an oath of confidentiality, and unauthorized release of information can bring civil liability or contempt.

Adult adoptees also have a way to control their own privacy from the other direction. Under RCW 26.33.347, an adopted person over eighteen may file a certified statement with the Department of Health either consenting to the release of identifying information and inviting contact, or refusing consent and declining contact except in a medical emergency determined by a court. That statement is placed with the adoptee's original birth certificate, so a searching birth parent learns the adoptee's wishes.

Bringing It Together

Finding birth parents is rarely a single step. Adult adoptees often begin with the original birth certificate through the Department of Health, then turn to a confidential intermediary if consent or updated information is needed. Prospective adoptive families work through licensed agencies, DCYF, or an independent adoption guided by counsel. In both directions, the law is trying to open doors while respecting the people on the other side of them.

If you are searching for birth family, planning an adoption, or petitioning for a confidential intermediary here in Snohomish County, the Law Office of Chad Foster can help you understand your options and take the next step with confidence. Reach out to talk through where you are and what a careful, respectful process looks like for your situation.