How can you find a sibling that was adopted at birth?

Question

i have a sister who was born a yr after me, for her own reasons my mum couldnt keep her, although my mum has told me as much info as she can
im now thinking about my sister all the time and considering looking for her but have no idea where or how to start i would rather not tell my mum until i know whats involved.
does anyone know how i could look for her myself? if its even possible.or should i leave it alone incase it causes more heartache for all involved?
( uk answers would be better )
thanks x x x x

she is going to be 28 this year!!! sorry should have said, but could that mean she doesnt want to find us?

Answer 1

First your sister has to be over 18 before you ever try to contact her. Birth families are just not allowed to contact the adopted child until they are adults. You need to gather as much info as you can, place of birth, if she was named by your mother, address to the adoption agency, names on the original birth certificate mother and father. There is a lot of research involved before you can even begin your search. Once you have all of the info you should first contact the adoption agency and see if they will release any information about the adoption. Even if they release very little it is better than nothing. You may find out the names of the adoptive parents or at least where they lived at the time of the adoption. You can also go on line, there are a few web sites that are devoted to finding adopted people and reuniting them with birth families. It is a long shot, but sometimes when someone finds out that they are adopted they want to find out about their birth parents. Just remember, she may not know she is adopted, or if she knows she may not care to meet her birth family. She has grown up away from you and may not want that connection to a family that put her up for adoption.

Answer 2

Don't be discouraged, sometimes this is a worthwhile search.

You can perhaps start at the Hospital where she was born, or the Children's Center, or Foster Home where she was sent.
Some Churches also have Baptismal Records with names of Parents and God Parents.'
When you find these names, use the telephone and start calling them.
Good luck..