If you were in care or adopted through either the London or
Middlesex County Councils, then we may hold a case file. LMA holds
many thousands of such files, from the period 1926 to 1965,
although we do not hold files for every child in London during this
time. For adoptions and care in Greater London after 1965 please
contact the social service department of the relevant London
Borough - see the London Portal for contact details.
Although sometimes in-care files hold very little information
and you may be disappointed by this, any information from your past
can stir up strong feelings. LMA has a responsibility to offer a
social worker counselling service for people who wish to view their
in-care file at LMA.
Click here for information about the City of London's Social
Services. Alternatively, you can apply to your own local social
services department for a social worker, who can request a copy of
the file from us.
If you want access to your adoption records, you must get a
social worker assigned to you from your local authority. They will
liaise with LMA to get you the information you need.
There are very important considerations of confidentiality when
dealing with adoption and in-care records. For more information
please print and read the information below. You can also
contact the enquiry team.
In-care and adoption files - guidelines for
enquirers (706kb)
In-care and adoption files - guidelines for
counsellors (711kb)