About WARM
WARM is a non-profit organization formed in 1976 dedicated to reuniting families separated by adoption. We serve adoptees, birth families, and adoptive parents. We provide information, referral, support, and search services. Our mission is to establish WARM as the primary resource in Washington State for search, reunion, support, and education in the life-long issues surrounding adoption.
Individual searching = Client. This can be:
- the adoptee;
- birth parent, sibling, aunt, uncle, grandparent of the adoptee;
- adult child of a deceased adoptee.
Needs to be closest next-of-kin to act as petitioner in court cases if the birth parent or adoptee is not the client.
If the adoptee was born or adopted in the State of Washington, but the client does not have identifying information (i.e. the person’s name), WARM can obtain legal access to sealed records.
If the client has identifying information about the person sought, WARM can search for and discreetly contact the family member.
If the client has completed their search and wants confirmation of the results and a neutral third party to make contact, WARM can assist with that as well.
WARM’s Confidential Intermediaries (CIs) have completed their own personal searches, are highly trained, and abide by WARM’s policy and code of ethics. The CI will search for, locate, and contact the person sought. A signed consent form must be obtained before identifying information may be exchanged.
“Under the confidential intermediary procedure, the (birth) parent is simply asked and more than 90% of them answer that…they just want to meet their child. Almost all these contacts have been successful, resulting in many warm, new relationships which do not harm the relationship with the adoptive parents.” -Norman B. Ackley, King County Superior Court Judge, June, 1979
WARM can search in all states for those with documented identifying information. For those without identifying information outside of Washington state, WARM can refer the client to search services in their area, or look into petitioning the appropriate Superior Court for the counties and states where WARM receives cooperation.
WARM also hosts support groups which are open to all who are interested in or affected by adoption, whether they are actively searching or not.
WARM stays informed on the constantly changing developments in adoption, both in law, policy formation, and implementation. WARM supports open records. WARM’s policies, procedures, and structure have served as a model for searching in other states and Canada.
WARM has strong ties with the professional adoption community and is pleased to be affiliated with the following organizations: