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EnglishHow to Contact Birthlink's After Adoption Information Line
Updated
Call 0131 225 6441 Monday to Friday, 9am–4pm. The After Adoption Information Line is open to everyone connected to adoption — adopted people, birth relatives and professionals. Before you call, check the Birthlink website for the latest monthly service update, because post-adoption work is still catching up after a temporary pause.
Who the line is for
Birthlink supports anyone affected by an adoption with a Scottish connection. That includes:
- Adopted people looking for someone, some information, or just someone to talk to
- Birth parents and relatives trying to trace a family member or understand records
- Professionals working with people connected to adoption
If you are unsure whether your situation fits, the line is the right first point of contact — staff can direct you to the correct service.
What to expect when you call
The line runs Monday to Friday, 9am–4pm. Birthlink notes that reaching out can bring up many emotions, and the service is set up for exactly that kind of conversation. Have any reference numbers or previous correspondence to hand if you have contacted them before.
If you have already been in touch
Birthlink's website states that following a temporary pause in post-adoption work, the team is processing all outstanding communication and Adoption Contact Register requests. If you have contacted them and have not yet received a response:
- You do not need to contact them again — they will get in touch once your request is processed.
- If your personal details have changed since you first made contact, or you no longer wish to use the service, let them know so records can be updated.
Other ways Birthlink can help
The phone line is one entry point; the website describes several distinct services.
| Service | What it covers |
|---|---|
| National Records of Scotland | Locating your original birth extract, adoption certificate and court process papers |
| Accessing Records | Help working out which records relate to your adoption and what each one is |
| Search Services | Experienced volunteers tracing a birth relative on your behalf |
| Mediation | Facilitating exchange of letters and photographs until those involved feel ready to proceed |
| Care Connect | Support for adults who were in care to find information about their past or trace estranged family members, in partnership with Future Pathways |
| Redress Service | Listed on the site as unaffected by the post-adoption pause |
Before you call: check the monthly update
Birthlink publishes monthly updates on its webpage about service status. The site's last-updated note is October 2026. Reading that update first tells you whether your type of request is currently being processed and saves a call if you are already in the queue. The site also confirms there are no changes to the Care Connect or Redress Services, so those routes are unaffected by the post-adoption backlog.
Quick checklist
- Check the Birthlink website's monthly update for current service status.
- Call 0131 225 6441, Monday–Friday, 9am–4pm.
- If you have already contacted Birthlink, wait for their response rather than calling again — unless your details have changed.
- If your query is about in-care records or redress, ask specifically about Care Connect or the Redress Service.