Letterbox Service
About the Letterbox Service
Croydon's Letterbox Service helps birth families and adoptive families exchange information after the child has been placed for adoption.
We pass letters, cards and photographs between birth families and adoptive families while keeping names and addresses confidential. Most people write to each other once or twice a year with news about the adopted child/ren or themselves and their families.
Please note that this arrangement is a voluntary agreement between the participants and may change depending on people's needs, particularly those of the child/ren.
Benefits
Research has shown that most adopted children benefit from having information about their birth family as they grow up.
Letterbox contact can help adoptive parents talk to their adopted children about their adoption and provide reassurance to birth families about the development of the child. It can also ease the way to direct contact between an adopted young person and their birth family when this is appropriate for both parties.
Participants
Adoptive parents, birth parents and any other birth relatives who have been important in the adopted child's life, and (foster) carers who look after a child's sibling can all use the Letterbox Service. Some of the older children may wish to write their own letters or have a say about what information is to be forwarded.
Role of the Letterbox social worker
The Letterbox social worker sets up the letterbox arrangement by sending out copies of the Information Exchange Arrangement to all participants. The arrangement sets out the details of the exchange such as the frequency, when to write and the nature of the exchange.
We continue to manage the arrangements until both parties no longer require the service. We are able to give support and advice to adoptive and birth families about what to write in their letters, act as an intermediary, and protect the confidentiality of all parties.
How the Letterbox Service works
Please send your unsealed newsletter including photos, drawings etc with a brief covering letter or note giving the details of the child's birth name and your full name to the Letterbox Service. On receipt the social worker will read and photocopy your correspondence and let you know that it has arrived safely.
The vetting of correspondence helps to protect people's confidentiality, assure recipients that only appropriate correspondence is forwarded and enables the social worker to give well-informed advice to the relevant parties. Once correspondence has been forwarded, the letterbox worker will again confirm this with the sender.
Subjects of correspondence
Adoptive parents usually write about a child's progress over the past year or six months. They include news about the child's interests, hobbies, health, progress at school and any other relevant news.
Birth parents and other family members are encouraged to write about what has been happening in their lives and those of their family members. This may include news of their health, employment, moving house or where they have been on holiday. Some continue to care for siblings and usually include some information about them too.
Depending on the nature of the arrangement they may include photos or drawings and very occasionally small gifts. However, we discourage the routine sending of presents, including money, as we have restricted storage space and wish to keep the exchange of news as a focus of people's exchanges.
On some occasions people share important or difficult news such as the death of a family member or the birth of a sibling. The Letterbox social worker can help share such news and can be contacted on the address below.
When the adopted child turns 18
Usually, letterbox arrangements are not terminated once a person turns 18, although the Letterbox social worker writes to them to ask whether they would like to continue using the service once they have legally become an adult. If they would like to do so they are asked to provide written consent.
A young person may also consider making direct contact with their birth family and we are happy to provide them with advice and support including directing them to their local post-adoption service if they live outside of Croydon.
Contacting us
You can contact the Letterbox Social Worker via the Fostering and Adoption Service. Remember to address any letters to the Letterbox Social Worker, followed by the address given below.
Contact Details
- Contact name
- Fostering and Adoption Service
- Telephone
- Freephone 0800 389 0129
- Fax
- 020 8760 5665
- Address
- 4-06 Taberner House
Park Lane
Croydon CR9 2BA
