350 people in Kerry have registered their contact preferences with the Adoption Authority of Ireland.
The new Contact Preference Register was established on July 1st under the Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022, replacing the old National Adoption Contact Preference Register.
The act ensures an adopted person, a person who was or suspects they were boarded out, a resident in a Mother and Baby Home or County Home, or those whose birth was illegally registered, can apply for their birth certificate, birth, early life, care, and medical information.
The new law also creates a statutory tracing service for those affected by adoption who are seeking to make contact with birth relatives.
A total of 350 adopted persons, birth parents, and other relatives in Kerry have now registered with the Adoption Authority of Ireland, stating their preferences about making contact with birth relatives.
As of September 16th, there were 262 adoptees on the Contact Preference Register for Kerry.
Of those, 223 were transferred on the old National Adoption Contact Preference Register, while in July there were 16 applications to the register, 19 in August, and four so far in September.
There are now 135 relatives registered on the Contact Preference Register for Kerry.
Of those, 131 have transferred from the old register, while in July, two were added, another two in August, and none so far in September.
Services under the Birth Information and Tracing Act are provided free of charge and will be available from October 3rd.
The Contact Preference Register will remain open after birth information and tracing services begin, allowing people to register or update their preferences at any stage on birthinfo.ie
Free counselling services for birth parents or relevant persons affected are now available. Applications can be made by contacting Tusla at 0818 44 55 00 or by emailing [email protected]
County-by-county breakdown of new applications to Contact Preference Register (CPR) and previous applications to old National Adoption Contact Preference Register (NACPR):
