Adoption, in theory, gives a child legal permanence and the security of family life with their adoptive parents, but for too long it has meant that links with the child's earlier life is lost. For many adopted children knowing something about their birth family and staying in touch with important people from their past can help them understand who they are and where they come from.

Post-adoption contact allows adopted child to keep some form of connection with their biological relatives after they have been adopted. This may include birth parents, brothers and sisters, grandparents or other family members. In the UK, the most common arrangement has been "letterbox" contact, where letters, cards or updates are exchanged through an adoption agency once or twice a year. However, contact can also include photographs, emails, digital updates or, in some cases, carefully supported face-to-face meetings.

A more open approach to adoption contact recognises that children do not arrive in adoptive families as blank pages. They have a history, relationships and often siblings or relatives who remain important to them. When contact is safe and well supported, it can help children make sense of their life story, reduce unanswered questions and support a stronger sense of identity.

The law already gives courts a way to think about contact at two key stages. Under section 26 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002, the court can make a contact order when a child is placed, or authorised to be placed, for adoption. This is often called post-placement contact, because it applies before the final adoption order is made. It allows the court to consider whether the child should continue to see or communicate with birth relatives or other during that important transition period.

After an adoption order is made, section 51A of the Adoption and Children Act 2002 allows the court to make an order for contact, or an order preventing contact. In simple terms, this means the court can decide whether an adopted child should have ongoing contact with someone such as birth parents, sibling or other relative. The child's welfare remains the court's most important consideration.

Although these legal powers exist, they have been used cautiously. In practice, many contact plans still rely on annual or twice-yearly letters. The Nuffield Family Justice Observatory has highlighted that the traditional letterbox system can feel outdated and may not always provide children with meaningful connection. There is growing support for more flexible, creative and modern ways of helping children stay safely connected with people who matter to them.

Unfortunately, progress does not appear to be happening at the same pace everywhere. Some areas seem to be moving more quickly towards creative, supported and child-centred contact arrangements, while others remian slower to move beyond traditional letterbox contact. That uneven implementation is significant for those children who are impacted. If practice depends too much on where a child happens to be placed, there is a real risk that children in slower-moving areas will be left behind and will miss out on the potential benefits of safe, meaningful connection.

Some children have experienced harm, and some adults may not be able to manage contact in a safe or reliable way, but that starting point should not be hear of contact. The better question id: what form of safe connection, if any, will help this particular child now and as they grow up?

For adoptive parents, contact may understandably feel daunting. There may be worries about disruption, confusion or emotional upset. Birth relatives may also find contact painful, especially where they are grieving the loss of a child from their care. Preparation, clear boundaries and ongoing support are essential in order to make it work. Contact should not simply be agreed on paper and then left for families to manage alone, it needs support in order to make it work, or it could be a disaster for all concerned.

Handled well, post-adoption contact can support security rather than undermine it. It can help children feel that the adults around them are not hiding their past, and that it is safe to ask questions. A more pro-contact approach is not about weakening adoption but about recognising that children can belong fully in their adoptive family while also being helped to understand and, where safe, maintain important connections from their earlier life.

If you are ging through placement or adoption proceedings, and need advice in respect of post placement or post adoption contact, you can get in touch with our family team on 0121 643 4121