NJ ADOPTEES BIRTHRIGHT ACT: Access to Original Birth Certificates

Starting January 2017, the New Jersey Adoptees Birthright Act will give adult adopted persons who were born and/or adopted in New Jersey the right to obtain a copy of their original birth certificate (OBC) upon request to the Registrar of Vital Statistics.

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College Tuition Waiver and Scholarship Programs

A significant post adoptive service offered by states is the waiver or payment of college tuition on behalf of adopted children.

 

Holt International Post Adoption Services

Holt International Children's Services is committed to serving all members of the adoption triad. Recognizing that relinquishment and adoption have lifelong effects, Holt seeks to respond to the needs of birth parents, adoptees, and adoptive parents throughout their lives regardless of agency affiliation. Below is a listing of services provided:

• Search Services: By law, birth parents and adoptees may search for each other after the adoptee reaches the age of 18. If an adoptee is under 18, adoptive parents may request a search for physical or mental health information. Holt can provide adoptees adopted through Holt International Children’s Services with background information available in their adoption file and assist with searches, if requested. Please contact Holt’s Post Adoption Services department for information about these services.

• Confidential Intermediary Services: Holt supports communication between the birth family and the adoptive family. If the adoption is closed but both parties wish to communicate, they may do so through Holt without releasing information that might identify them.

• Documentation Services: If you were adopted through Holt International Children's Services in the United States, Holt can provide copies of your file and other adoption related documents. Adult adoptees may request copies of their child materials from their US file, usually the same documents that were provided to the adoptive parents before the child comes home, or from their international file. These materials may include the child’s legal documents, progress reports, and photos of the child while in care in their birth country. Identifying information regarding birth family, if included in the file, is not released to the adoptees unless both parties have registered in the Voluntary Adoption Registry. There is a one-time fee of $25.00 for a copy of your US file, and an additional $25.00 for your international file. Holt also has information regarding citizenship and other issues adoptees face.

• Assessment, Crisis Intervention, and Referrals: Everyone sometimes feels the need for an empathic listener and expert advice. We assess and refer, as the situation demands, to professionals, groups, camps, tours, websites, and literature.

• Independent Travel Services: For adoptive families and adoptees who wish to travel apart from an organized Heritage Tour, Holt offers basic information about the adoptee’s birth country. Holt staff also can facilitate a visit to Holt’s partner agency in the country.

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Center for Adoption Support and Education (CASE)

https://adoptionsupport.org

 

Adoptive Family Support Network (AFSN) 

https://dabsj.org/what-we-do/adoption/post-adoption-support

Warmline: 614-459-2833