11 years after the initial application

It took a year and two months to get my original birth certificate and adoption order, delayed one month due to a Civil Service labour strike.

Similar to 1996, I saw the letter, took a deep breath and opened it. The following details were included:

• My original full name: James William Stevens
• My birth-mother’s name: Florence Stevens – nee Wallington
• That I was baptised Anglican

The next step was to send these details to Post Adoption Services to apply for the sibling search. After talking with Judy – my case worker from 2002, I sent all the details.

While at one level it may seem like I’m dealing with a bunch of bureaucracy but what’s great about this process is that it gives people options on their path – the level of detail they want to know.

I have several friends who don’t want to know, so don’t bother applying. Some may be okay with just the non-identifying details. Some want to know details at this level. Some want to go all the way like I did.