Document - Based Search
When a child is adopted from China, the orphanage, or agency responsible for facilitating such adoptions provides the adoptive parents with numerous documents to finalize the adoption including a Certificate of Abandonment, health reports, immunization records, a finding ad, and sometimes a birth certificate. In addition, the child’s orphanage file contains additional documents such as the Finder’s Report, and sometimes a Police Report. The file may also contain hospital records if the child was ill shortly before or after arriving at the orphanage. Adoptive parents typically have the original documents translated into English, by one or more individuals, and then look for clues in the documents that could point to the identity of the child’s biological parents. This type of search is called a document-based search since it is driven by the legal documents provided to the adoptive family during the adoption process.
Chinese Birth Family
Search Network
TIPS
THE 10 MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO DO TO ENSURE SEARCH SUCCESS
The CBFSN believes the 10 most helpful things you can do if you are serious about birth family searching are listed below.
​
-
Read Wesley Hagood's book Searching for Your Chinese Birth Family
-
Have your DNA tested by 23andMe.com
-
Upload your raw DNA data file from 23andMe to GEDmatch
-
Upload your raw DNA data file from 23andMe to WeGene and 23Mofang
-
Sign up for a WeChat account
-
Obtain a "Birth Parent Search Analysis Research" report from Research-China
-
Write a letter to CCCWA requesting a copy of your "Finder's Report" and "Police Report" (if one exists)
-
Contact other parents who adopted from the same orphanage to share information
-
Have all original Chinese adoption records translated into English by at least two translators.
-
Make a roots-seeking heritage visit to your SWI
​
There are also passive search methods including MyTaproot and Help for Family Reunion (HFFR). In these cases, information about the adoptee, including their DNA results, is entered in a database and a match will typically only occur if a member of the adoptee's birth family is also searching for them.