The Arkansas Department of Human Services keeps a registry of people involved in an Arkansas adoption who want to share their information. Known as the Mutual Consent Voluntary Adoption Registry (MCVAR), this listing is available to adoptive family members and birth family members — but not for private adoptions.
What is an adoption registry?
An adoption registry lists names and contact information for people involved in adoptions on the biological family side:
- the adopted child at age 18 for health information and age 21 for identifying information
- the birth parents
- the biological grandparents, aunts or uncles, or siblings
The health and social history information is available to adoptive parents while the adopted child is a minor. It can also be available to the spouse or children of an adopted person after their death.
The MCVAR is available only by mutual consent. That is, an adopted person cannot ask for the name of his birth mom and be given that information unless she has already shared it in the registry. The registrar won’t reach out to her to ask if she wants to share.
Note that the registry allows some contact that might otherwise be difficult. For example, the estranged father of a birth mom or of an adopted child could register in case the child grows up and wants more information, even if the birth mom didn’t want that information shared. Or an adult who was placed in a closed adoption could register, allowing the birth mom to reach out if she later regretted the lack of contact. In any case, both sides of the relationship must have chosen to register before any contact can be made.
Where are adoption registries kept?
The state keeps the MCVAR. This listing is primarily made up of people involved in adoptions of children who were wards of the state: that is, kids adopted from the foster care system.
Licensed adoption agencies in Arkansas are also allowed to keep adoption registries. There are laws about how such registries must be kept. They can be added to the state listing under some circumstances.
Private adoptions are not listed in the adoption registry. Adoption lawyers or other adoption professionals are not allowed to operate an official adoption registry. However, private adoptions are likely to be open adoptions and may also have more flexibility in communication. In a closed private adoption, though, it may be necessary to get a court order to see closed records. The court would have to agree that the cause was sufficient to justify the loss of anonymity.
Are you an expectant mom figuring out some important decisions? Heimer Law can help. With expertise in both adoption law and family therapy, we are a valuable, non-judgmental resource. Call us at (479) 225.9725 for a free, no-obligation conversation.
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