Petition · Department for Education

Amend adoption/kinship care laws to protect privacy rights of adult adoptees

Open for signatures 155 signatures

What the petition asks

Amend the Children Act 1989 and adoption guidance to explicitly state that local authorities cannot contact or assess an adopted person to act as a kinship carer for a biological sibling they have no prior relationship with unless the adoptee has explicitly opted into a contact register.
An adoption order legally cuts ties with the birth family. However, local authorities can still track down adult adoptees to take responsibility for new biological siblings they have never met. We believe this breaches the adoptee's right to move on with their life, creates intense emotional guilt, and compromises their right to privacy under the guise of family finding. For many families this can cause severe upset and turmoil. We believe we are not legally or morally Kin and therefore should not be considered so.

Timeline

6 Jul 2026 Petition opened for signatures

Key facts

Signatures 155
Status Open for signatures
Department Department for Education
Opened 6 Jul 2026

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 26 Jul 2026.