An adult (age 18 or older ) adoptee, birth parent or grandparent, adoptive parent or custodial grandparent, sibling or half-sibling, or adult descendant, spouse, legal guardian, adult stepchild, or adopted adult sibling of an adoptee may petition the court for the services of a confidential intermediary. An appropriate Motion and Affidavit to Open Adoption File must be filed in the Colorado court where the adoption took place. The court will forward the petition to CCIS.  CCIS designates an intermediary upon availability to conduct a search. The intermediary then contacts the petitioner and works directly with him or her throughout the case.

Under the law, intermediaries are forbidden from disclosing any confidential information. Information gathered from adoption and relinquishment records is used by intermediaries solely to locate sought-after relatives. When both the sought-after person and the person initiating the search give mutual consent to personally communicate with one another, contact between the parties can occur after the court has been notified of the consent agreement. If the sought-after relative refuses consent, the records pertaining to the refusing individual are resealed and the case is closed.

SEE ALSO: Step-by-Step guide