- Birth Family Search
Find Birth Parents, Siblings, Adoptees and Family
This is a Facebook group that helps domestic adoptees find and reunite with lost relatives, adoptees, birth parents, and siblings.
- Birth Family Search
Korean Adoptees searching for their birth families
This is a Facebook group for Korean adoptees who are searching for their birth families. It is open to all Korean adoptees to publish any photos and information about their adoption. There are also subgroups that are closed Facebook groups.
- Birth Family Search
Chile Adoption Birth Family Search
The Chile Adoption Birth Family Search Facebook group is for “ Helping Chilean adoptees to search for their birth families in Chile and reconnect with their birth families” As of 2020 they celebrated 10 years of searches and as of 2019 they celebrated 300 cases.
- Birth Family Search
China Family Search
China Family Search is a resource page for those in the Chinese adoption community interested in birth family searching. It offers information and resources for both the adoptive parent and the adoptee. This source would be a good starting point for Chinese adoptees interested in searching and their parent.
- Birth Family Search
Research-China
Research-China.org is an informational website detailing the sociopolitical circumstances of China starting from the causes of the One Child Policy up to recent happenings that affect adoption or are a direct cause of it. It features an adoptive father’s experience with his adoption and helping his daughters conduct a birth family search. This resource is for those interested in the politics behind adoption and its history.
- Birth Family Search
The Roots of Love
The Roots of Love is a Chinese adoptee family reunion project with multiple professional searchers on location. They offer free DNA testing to potential birth relatives and share birth relative contact info for free. This organization would best benefit Chinese adoptees actively searching for birth family.
- Birth Family Search
Birth Family Search Russia
Birth Family Search Russia is a organization created by by Denis M. Rybakov who is dedicated to birth searches. He has undertaken more than 600 birth family searches all over Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Kazakhstan, and more. He is a member of the Moscow Bar Association. This source can apply to and most benefit Russian adoptees who are interested in birth family search.
- Birth Family Search
Korea Adoption Services
Korea Adoption Services’s “Searching for Adoptees” webpage is for birth families searching for their biological children. For adoptees searching for their birth families, there is an additional page called “Searching for Birth Family.” KAS offers post-adoption services, too. The posted story will be translated in Korean and get posted on a Family Search board of Korean webpage as well. This source can apply to and most benefit Korean adoptees or birth families who want to search for one another.
- Birth Family Search
International Child Search Alliance (ICSA)
The International Child Search Alliance (ICSA) is a “ all-volunteer international group of adoptees and adoptive parents founded in November 2018.” They offer reliable information and promote awareness in China of adoptees’ desire to know their birth families. This source applies to and most benefit Chinese adoptees who are interested in birth family search.
- Birth Family Search
Chilean Adoptees Worldwide
Chilean Adoptees Worldwide is a platform for Chilean Adoptees, all over the world. The organization strives to bring awareness/connect with adoptees and birth families in Chile. Birth family search is a big part of their work and offers a secure space where adoptees can upload their adoption documents. This source can apply to and most benefit Chilian adoptees, their families, and their birth families.
- Birth Family Search
DNA Testing for Asian Adoptees
From GenePeace DNA Consulting, this document serves as a guide on DNA testing. This document can apply to and most benefit those who are interested in exploring how “DNA can be used specifically for people of Asian ancestry, including Asian international adoptees and adoptees of mixed Asian heritage (domestic or internationally adopted). “ This guide is packed with information and suggests additional resources.
The Nanchang Project: “Chinese Adoptee DNA”
From the Nanchang Project facebook page, this infographic is a flow chart about Chinese adoptee DNA. This source can apply to and most benefit Chinese adoptees who are overwhelmed by all the places you can add DNA.
- Birth Family Search
Journey Across Forever – China Birth Parent Search Group
Journey Across Forever is a closed group for adoptive parents with children from China who are searching for birth parents, foster parents, finders, etc. There are networking resources, steps to take when searching, and other resources that provide information on the process.
- Birth Family Search
China – Birthparent search
Birthparent Search is a Facebook group for Chinese adoptees, adoptive parents of Chinese adoptees, and other close relatives of Chinese adoptees. The goal of this group is to provide support and resources for finding birthparents in China.
- Birth Family Search
Family Ties: Chinese Adoptee Birth Family Search
Family Ties is a Facebook group that offers guidance and support for people searching for birth families in China. This is NOT an advocacy group and is a platform solely for searching, guidance, and support.
- Birth Family Search
Nanchang Project
The Nanchang Project is a program dedicated to creating a community and resources (DNA testing, searching) for Chinese adoptees searching for birth family. They provide a space to connect, educate, and support the community. This resource best benefits Chinese adoptees searching for birth family or parents searching on behalf of their children
- Birth Family Search
NPR: “I Found My Birth Mother. It Didn’t Rock My Life — And That’s OK”
This is a short narrative story about an adoptee’s experience of meeting her birth mother and her feelings about it. This story can apply to and most benefit adoptees who are wondering about an experience like this. It is important to remember that this short story is not meant to be discouraging but comes from a rather realistic point of view.
- Birth Family Search
ReunionEyes
In blog format, an adoptee writes about her adoption experience and the experience of reuniting with her birth mother. This source has a lot of insight into how the experience has impacted the adoptee and how some people integrate their lives with both their adoptive and birth families.
- Birth Family Search
Nikwi Hoogland
In an Instagram page in blog-like format, this source offers a personal look at an adoptee’s thoughts and experiences surrounding her identity and reunion experience. This source can apply to and most benefit adoptees who are wondering about an experience like this.
- Birth Family Search
“2018 I WENT TO CHINA TO SEARCH FOR MY BIRTH FAMILY * 2018年寻找中国亲生父母”
In this short youtube documentary (link to full TV documentary is in the description), an adoptee shares her experience of going to China to search for her birth family. She explains the controversies surrounding her choice and encourages others to search for their birth families.This source can apply to and most benefit adoptees who are wondering about an experience like this.
- Birth Family Search
CCI (China’s Children International): Searching Resources
CCI’s Birth Parent Search and Reunion Resource Guide is a compilation of birth family searching resources for Chinese adoption community, offering various tips, strategies, platforms, etc. This source is for people of the Chinese adoption community interested in birth family searching.
- Adoptee Groups
ICAV Post Adoption Services
List of intercountry and transracial, adoptee-led, post-adoption services located in the USA. Has search reunion services, counseling therapy services, and more.
- Adoptee Groups
Child Welfare Information Gateway: “Adoption”
Resources on all aspects of domestic and intercountry adoption, with a focus on adoption from the U.S. foster care system. Includes information for adoption professionals, adopted adults, expectant parents considering adoption, birth parents and relatives, and prospective and adoptive parents on a broad range of adoption topics.
- Birth Family Search
Closure (2013)
A trans-racial adoptee finds her birth mother, and meets the rest of her family who did not know she existed, including her birth father. This documentary explores themes such as identity, the complexities of trans-racial adoption, and closure.
- Birth Family Search
Twin Sisters (2013)
This documentary film is happy and heartwarming about twin sisters who are adopted by two separate families who find their way back to each other via social media. This movie brings up topics such as growing, learning, understanding, and identity.
- Birth Family Search
First Person Plural (2000)
This documentary film tells the true story of an 8-year old girl who is adopted by an American family, only to discover years later that she has a birth family in Korea. The documentary explores themes of identity, race, assimilation, and birth family reunion.
- Birth Family Search
Searching for Go-Hyang (1998)
This film is about twin sisters who are adopted into the US but return back to Korea 14 years later in hopes of exploring and reconnecting with their homeland and roots. This story addresses issues of national identity and cross cultural adoption.
- Birth Family Search
aka DAN: Korean Adoption Documentary
Dan Matthews is a Korean adoptee who journeys back to Korea to reunite with his biological family, including a twin brother he never knew he had. He has all this documented and shared on his YouTube channel for his fans/followers to follow along to.
- Birth Family Search
Twinsters (2015)
This documentary tells the true-life story of identical twin sisters separated at birth who discover each other online. They meet and confirm their identity with a DNA test, and they set out to explore aspects of their background together. One twin lives in the US while the other twin lives in France.
- Birth Family Search
International Child Search Alliance (ICSA)
ICSA is an all-volunteer international group of adoptees and adoptive parents offering multiple sources of information to help adoptees from China search for their birth families. Advice is given on ‘Getting Started’, ‘Hiring a Searcher’, ‘Birth Parents Searching for Children’, and more. There is also How-To-Guides that include DNA testing, using the app WeChat, Joining a Province Search, visiting the CCCWA, and more.
- Media
Adoptees On: “33 [S2 E10] Marni – A Model Reunion”
A hard and honest conversation, but ultimately heart warming and joyful reunion between birth mother and adoptee. The episode walks you through three guiding principles for a successful family reunion.
- Media
Adoptees On: “24 [Healing Series] How Do I Tell My Adoptive Parents I’m Searching?”
“A podcats on how to talk with your parents about searching for your birth family. The podcasts discusses how it’s mormal for adoptees to want to search, and the difficulties of allowing yourself to pursue that.
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- Media
Who Am I Really?
” A podcast where adoptees of all different backgrounds discuss their adoption journeys and attempts at reunion with their biological families. Episodes are around 1hr long, and range from 30 min to 1 hr ½.
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- Media
Vox: “Genes aren’t destiny, and other things I’ve learned from being adopted”
An adoptee speaks candidly about their experience being adopted, dealing with other people’s expectations, and the ways in which birth family connection is powerful, but not everything.
- Adoptee Groups
Adoptee Hub
“””Our mission is to connect, collaborate, and preserve adoption legacies through community, culture, and post-adoption services. Adoptees deserve the opportunity to know their history, have a sense of belonging, experience their birth culture, and have access to services in a supportive safe space throughout their adoption journey.”
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- Mental Health
Amanda Baden, PH.D.
Amanda Baden is am a Licensed Psychologist in New York City with a small practice in Manhattan. She specializes in work with those impacted by adoption but I also work with issues related to racial, cultural, and identity concerns.
