Mediated contact: Reflections on a piece of after-adoption intermediary practice

Although professional intermediary work to facilitate contact between people separated by adoption is a common aspect of after-adoption work, relatively little light has been cast on the nuances of this sensitive area of practice. Hitherto a service mainly used by adopted people seeking contact with their birth relatives, it is anticipated that there will be growing numbers of people seeking the help of intermediaries as a result of the Adoption and Children Act (2002) which, from January 2006, has extended official tracing and contact services to birth relatives. This article by Gary Clapton combines a practice account of intermediary work with a critical review of the literature on the use of intermediaries. It seeks to bring together what has been publicly written about best practice and identify questions in need of further discussion.