Mailbox Program
After an Adoption Order is made, adoptive parents, adopted children and members of a child's birth family can voluntarily exchange correspondence via our Mailbox Program.
Families corresponding via the program have no direct contact with each other and only non-identifying information can be communicated. We review all correspondence before it is forwarded to ensure that it is appropriate and maintains confidentiality.
Sometimes, adoptive parents feel anxious about how correspondence may affect their child's adjustment. It is not unusual for parents to be concerned that:
- it may be confusing or upsetting for the child
- there may be more correspondence than they would feel comfortable with
- the child may compare them with the other family or reject them
- things the birth family may write could be hurtful or insensitive.
In reality, these anxieties usually prove to be unfounded and a respectful relationship develops between parties corresponding via the program. Parents usually find that:
- it helps their child have a more realistic understanding of adoption and develop positive feelings about their own circumstances
- correspondence is exchanged a few times a year and there is no pressure to reply to correspondence until the child or family feels ready to do so
- it helps their child accept that members of their birth family are ordinary people and that they can get to know their birth family without feeling disloyalty towards their adoptive family
- it helps them to accept members of the child's birth family and to talk with their child about their adoption
- it helps the child develop a sense of identity and integrate aspects of influence from their genetic origins and family of origin with their adoptive family environmental influences
- correspondence usually focuses on the child's progress, important things happening in both families and topics of mutual interest
- correspondence helps reduce anxieties the child or other family members may have about what will happen when the child turns 18 years of age and can access identifying information.
If required, we are available to provide support and assistance to anyone participating in Mailbox Program.
Maintaining correspondence
Occasionally, adoptive parents and birth parents who have been corresponding do not maintain their correspondence. This is usually because there has been a major event or change in the life of one of the people corresponding and that person has not felt able to continue correspondence at that time.
It is usually possible to re-establish contact when the person feels ready to correspond at a later time.
People wishing to re-establish correspondence are encouraged to contact our Adoption Services Queensland Unit. We can forward correspondence to adoptive parents or birth parents only when the person for whom the correspondence is intended has given written permission for it to be forwarded.
We cannot search for a party to an adoption to tell them that correspondence has been received. If you want to know if correspondence intended for you has been received, you can contact our adoption unit.
If you want to be advised if correspondence is received in the future, you must provide us with written instructions to advise you of correspondence.
If you wish to ensure that any future correspondence reaches you, make sure you inform us if your address changes.
If you advise us that you want to receive correspondence, you will be given any correspondence that may already be on file and advised when any future correspondence is received.
People participating in the program can advise us in writing if they wish to receive all future correspondence. We will forward all future correspondence unless we are provided with different instructions.
Further information
For further information about the program, contact our Adoption Services Queensland Unit.
- Last updated
- 19 October 2007