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 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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Did the adoption have to take place in Colorado? |
Yes |
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Where do I apply? |
File in the court where the adoption took place.
If you do not know this, birth relatives should file either where the
relinquishment occurred, or in the district where the child was born if you do
not know the correct relinquishment court. If you are an adoptee or
related to the adoptee and do not know the correct court, file in the district
where the adoptive parents were living at the time of the adoption.
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To view a list of courts click here.
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How do I fill out the Motion and
Affidavit? |
On the forms dated 9/00, in the top section, you would
indicate the court in which you will be filing. Where it says: "In the
Matter of the Adoption of:", you should put the birth name of the adoptee
if known, otherwise leave it blank. Where it says "And Concerning:", put
your current legal name. Next, if you are filing by yourself (no attorney
is necessary), repeat your name and add your address. Fill out the body of
the form as best you know. Do not be concerned if you do not know much
information. Where it says "I petition the Court...of the ___ Court for
___ County, put "District" or "Juvenile" (for Denver) in the first blank and the
name of the Court where you will be filing in the second blank. You
must sign in front of a notary. If you are using an older Motion, the
notary may need to cross out "Colorado" and insert the correct state for her
signature. |
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How does the court know to send my
petition to your organization?
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At this time, there are no other
confidential intermediary programs, so all cases come directly to CCIS.
Smaller courts may need some help from CCIS if they have not dealt with our
cases often, and the petitioner can let us know if this seems to be the case so
that we can contact that court.
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How will I know that CCIS has received my
petition from the court?
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CCIS sends new petitioners a letter
introducing the program and requesting payment to start the search. If you
have not received this letter within about a 6 week period of time, it would
probably be helpful to contact the court to make sure that the case has been
sent to CCIS.
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How is a CI appointed to me?
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Generally, CCIS considers the
availability of it's CIs and appoints someone accordingly, also taking into
account whether or not long-distance calls will be a factor for contact.
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Can I ask for a specific CI?
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Yes. If
you know about a particular CI and would like to request that person, this can
be considered. Keep in mind that this might cause a delay in appointment
if that CI is not ready for another case. Also, please keep in mind that
CIs are not allowed to work on cases of friends or family. |
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Does the organization take credit
card payment? |
Yes, CCIS accepts VISA or MasterCard, but there is an
additional $60.00 added onto whatever amount is the current fee. |
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How will I know whether or not I qualify for a pro bono fee?
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You will need to send CCIS a copy of
your most recent 1040 tax form, or some other indicator of income if you are
receiving a form of assistance. CCIS' Finance Committee will contact you
within a month's time of your status. |
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How long does the average search
take? |
Plan on the search taking about six
months. Some cases are solved much quicker (a few have been solved in one
day!), but we have also had cases that have gone on for two years or more.
We are able to request additional time from the court beyond the 270 days listed
on our Order. |
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Can you find people who might be living in
another country?
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Yes. This does not necessarily
cause a problem for us, as we have located many people in foreign countries. |
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Why may I only hear from my CI once per month? |
CIs do
many things during a search which may require "down" time while waiting on
information. The CI may be working other cases as well. Plus, many
CIs do this on their spare time, as they have outside jobs. As a result,
CCIS respects that their CIs need to be able to focus on all aspects of the work
as well as have time for themselves and families. Once a month contact
with petitioners is the expectation. However, be assured that once the CI
has information that can be shared, or they are getting close for contact, they
will undoubtedly be in more contact with you than this standard. |
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What is "Good Cause"?
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Good Cause refers to a section of the statute (19-1-309
C.R.S.) that
was included when all adoptions were "closed". Essentially,
it attempted to allow an adoption record to be "unsealed" in emergency cases,
generally in dire medical emergencies. However, while a person might be
able to obtain confidential records in this manner, it provides no means by
which the person can readily locate birth relatives. This clause is still
in the law and may be helpful in certain cases. |
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To view the statute click here.
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Under what circumstances will I be able to
receive copies of my adoption record?
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Currently, the law states that if both birth parents are
deceased, or a birth parent consents to contact with the adoptee, a request can
be made to the court by the adoptee for the adoption record. |
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What
documents make up the adoption
record? |
There are five documents. These
include: the original and amended birth certificates, non-identifying
information, the Final Decree of Adoption, the Final Order of Relinquishment,
and the Final Order of Termination (if there was one). |
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What can I do if I am uncomfortable/dissatisfied
with the CI appointed to me?
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It is best if you first try to work out your concerns with
the CI directly. If that does not work, then call into the CCIS office and
ask to speak with the Chief
Confidential Intermediary about your concerns. If you are still
uncomfortable with what is happening, you can write to CCIS and to the AIC
(Adoption Intermediary Commission). Because the contact person with the
AIC changes dependent upon who is heading it, there is no set address to contact
them. CCIS will give you the correct contact person
for this, or you can request this from the Colorado State Dept. of Social
Services or from the State Court Administrator's office. |
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Who are the members of the AIC? |
There are three members representing the judicial
department, three members representing licensed child placement agencies, three
members representing the adoption triad, two people representing the department
of human services, and two people representing confidential intermediaries. |
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How can I contribute to the CCIS organization? |
Donations are greatly appreciated. All donations can
be sent directly to: CCIS 15400 W 64th Avenue Unit E-9 #173
Arvada, CO 80007 |
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How are contributions used? |
Contributions are currently used to compensate CCIS for
sliding scale and pro bono cases.
However, it is hoped that in the future, donations will allow the organization
to pay CIs a full fee on all cases, and perhaps increase the amount they are
paid per case. |
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What documents make up the adoption
record? |
The original and amended birth certificates, the Final
Decree of Adoption, non-identifying social history, the Final Order of
Relinquishment, and the Final Order of Termination are the documents that make
up the adoption record. |
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To view the statute click here.
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What are the advantages of using
CCIS over an adoption agency for search?
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If an adoption agency has a signed
consent from the adoptee and birthparent, it is likely that they can match
people together quickly and at minimal cost. However, adoption agencies
are only allowed to use the records within their agency to do search, as they
are not supplied with a court order to look at confidential records as is CCIS.
Further, at this time, few agencies has trained staff (approved by the AIC) to
conduct search and reunion services. CCIS does not know what individual agencies will charge for a search/reunion service
or what amount of time they will consider expending in conducting searches. |
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