ABSTRACT

Adults who have grown up separated from their birth family through adoption, or by being brought up in care, might experience a number of difficulties when trying to make sense of their lives. The language used in historical records might seem inappropriate and unprofessional, provoking a range of emotions in both client and worker. The focus, however, should be on building together an account of childhood events that feels authentic and coherent. For many adopted adults, the search to connect with the past and to construct a coherent personal history is a much less painful process. Records could provide answers to long held questions and allow access to events that are no longer held in the conscious memory but which, nevertheless, have had an effect on the psychological development of the individual. Carol first sought access to information from her care records when she was a young, married mother.