What if I do not want to be contacted by my birth relatives?

What if I do not want to be contacted by my birth relatives?

Julia Feast (Search and Reunion Consultant) gives expert video advice on: How do I start looking for my birth family?; Are the birth family able to search for an adopted child?; Why do people decide to search for their birth family? and more...

Adopted people can register two types of vetoes. An Absolute veto is when the adopted person says they do not want contact, under any circumstances, by the intermediate agency. When it's a qualify veto, the adopted person can stipulate in which circumstances they would not mind being approached by an intermediary agency. For example, the adopted person could say, "well, I don't mind hearing about a brother or a sister, but I don't want to hear about my parents." Or, "I don't mind hearing if I'm going to be left money in a will", because that can also happen. The adopted person can stipulate, but what's really important is that the adopted person needs to consider whether or not they do want to register an absolute or qualified veto. It's important that they have the opportunity to talk to an adoption worker prior to making the decision to register a veto.