Adoption Records:
Utah is a closed-records state, which means that no identifying information from your files can be released without consent from both the adoptee and birthmother. Files will remain closed until 100 years from the date of the adoption. However, you can still have quite a bit of information from your file! Utah law allows for us to share anything that would not identify a person (such as names, dates, addresses, etc.). As such, we can provide you with a Non-Identifying Background Information Report.
A Non-Identifying Background Information Report will give you a history on your birth family or the adoptive family of your birth child, including such things as physical descriptions, occupations, education, religion, nationality, siblings, hobbies, age, marital status, etc. It may also include medical information. The amount of information you may receive will depend wholly on how much information was given to the agency during the adoption process.
The cost for this service is $50. The fee covers the cost of locating the appropriate files, reviewing them, and extracting all non-identifying information to share with you in a written format, as well as the time for discussion of any questions or issues you might have.
If you would like to receive a Non-Identifying Background Information Report please fill out our Request Form and submit it to us, along with a copy of your photo id as proof of identity, and the $50 fee. If you have any questions, contact us at 801-326-4395 or email us at becky@cssutah.org.
Foster Care Records:
In the past, Children’s Service Society was frequently granted custody of children who were removed from their parents by the State. CSS helped to place those children in foster homes. Some were ultimately adopted, but many were not. Records exist for most of those children who were wards of CSS for a time, which can provide valuable personal or genealogical information. If you (or a deceased relative) were in foster care through CSS, we can make a search of our archive index to determine if the file exists, and if so, request it from State Archives. The fee to receive copies of these foster care records is $20, which includes the search for the file, copies and mail costs, and the return of file to Archives.
Contact Becky Davis at 801-326-4395 or email becky@cssutah.org for more information about this service.
If you would like to make contact with birth family or adoptive family, please see our Connections Program for more details.
Know an expectant parent or birth parent? We offer free options counseling. We can help with private, independent, and agency adoptions. Call us at 801-656-8527. Email at admin@cssutah.org.
