New national database to help adoptees and care leavers track down their records

A new online platform aimed at helping adopted and care-experienced people locate and access records about their past is set to launch later this year.

The initiative is being developed through a partnership between CoramBAAF and the Archives and Records Association, who announced the project this week. The organisations say the free resource will provide a central, easy-to-navigate database showing where adoption and care records are held across the UK.

Adoption and care records are widely recognised as an important source of information about a person’s early life, identity and family history. Although legislation requires such records to be retained, many people with care experience or who were adopted report difficulties locating and accessing them.

The new platform aims to address this by bringing together data already held by both organisations to create what they say will be the most comprehensive searchable database for adoption and care records in the UK. It will also signpost users to organisations that can provide support when requesting and interpreting records.

Work has already begun to merge and update existing datasets, with further development expected to continue throughout 2026 ahead of the public launch.

People with lived experience have long highlighted the importance of access to records in understanding their personal history.

Jane, an adopted person whose name has been changed to protect her identity, said receiving information from her adoption records had transformed her sense of identity.

“Until I received information from the adoption records, I have always felt that I have been living in a darkened room – and now someone has switched the light on,” she said.

Simon, a care leaver who entered care aged five, said reading his records helped him understand his childhood and challenge feelings of guilt.

“I was haunted by my childhood and being taken into care at the age of five; I felt it was all my fault,” he said. “Reading my records altered my whole life understanding and perspectives on myself. It took away my guilt and shame – it was transformational.”

Jane Poore, adoption consultant at CoramBAAF, said the project aimed to make it easier for people to begin the process of accessing their records.

“We know how important adoption and care records are to people’s sense of identity, belonging and wellbeing,” she said. “This project will make it much easier for people to find where their records are held and to begin their search with clarity and confidence.”

Sam Johnston said the new resource would help address longstanding challenges faced by adoptees and people with care experience.

"This has been a long time coming so we're so pleased that this joint project will provide the much needed freely available and accessible resource to address some of the current challenges and struggles that care-experienced and adopted people encounter to help them find the information to help fill some of the gaps in their lives and find and make contact with birth relatives.”

Experts say accessing records can currently involve navigating multiple organisations and systems, particularly where records have moved or been archived over time.

Elizabeth Lomas, policy lead for the Memory-Identity-Rights in Records-Access research group at University College London, said the new tool could help address longstanding barriers.

"When the state assumes the responsibility of a parent (loco parentis) it should capture a child's voice, achievements, and life stories making this information easily available through time. However, to date, journeys to access records are complex and problematic. This new tool is essential to make access to records and memories possible. It is long overdue."

The initiative has also been welcomed by the Information Commissioner's Office, which has previously raised concerns about delays, redactions and other obstacles people face when trying to obtain their records.

Owen Prendeville said access to care records was a fundamental right.

"Access to care records is a fundamental right – they can hold forgotten memories, valuable parts of someone's identity or difficult answers behind life events. As part of the research for our Better Records Together campaign, we have heard about the systemic challenges people are facing when trying to access their records, such as long delays and unexplained redactions. We are calling for urgent improvements from organisations to make sure these requests are handled with care and compassion.

"Our research suggests that locating records in the first place can also be difficult, especially older records that may have moved places over the years. This new project from CoramBAAF and the Archives and Records Association will be a valuable tool for people with care experience, making it easier to track down their records and begin the process of accessing their story."

Emily Frith, chief executive of Adoption UK, said the project addressed an issue consistently raised by adoptees.

Adoption UK’s annual Barometer survey has repeatedly found that access to records is one of the biggest challenges faced by adopted adults, with many reporting missing, incomplete or heavily redacted information.

Frith said the new database was a welcome step but called for wider improvements to ensure people can access vital information about their past.

“We hope this is just the beginning of further work in this area,” she said, adding that stronger standards and support are needed to help adoptees access records.

The partners say the database will continue to be developed throughout the year before launching publicly later in 2026.