West Virginia § 48-23-504 - 48-23-504. Matching and disclosure procedures.

§ 48-23-504. 48-23-504. Matching and disclosure procedures.

(a) Each mutual consent voluntary adoption registry must be operated under the direction of an administrator.

(b) A person eligible to register may request the administrator to disclose identifying information by filing an affidavit which sets forth the following:

(1) The current name and address of the affiant;

(2) Any previous name by which the affiant was known;

(3) The original and adopted names, if known, of the adopted child;

(4) The place and date of birth of the adopted child; or

(5) The name and address of the adoption agency or other entity, organization or person placing the adopted child, if known.

(c) The affiant shall notify the registry of any change in name or location which occurs subsequent to his or her filing the affidavit. The registry has no duty to search for an affiant who fails to register his or her most recent address.

(d) The administrator of the mutual consent voluntary adoption registry shall process each affidavit in an attempt to match the adult adoptee and the birth parents. Such processing shall include research from agency records, when available, and when agency records are not available, research from court records to determine conclusively whether the affiants match.

(e) The administrator shall determine that there is a match when the adult adoptee and the birth mother or the adult adoptee and the birth father have each filed affidavits with the mutual consent voluntary adoption registry and have each received the counseling required in section 23-502.

(f) When a match has taken place, the department shall directly notify all parties through a direct and confidential contact. The contact shall be made by an employee or agent of the agency receiving the assignment and shall be made face to face, rather than by mail, telephone or other indirect means. The employee or agent shall be a trained social worker who has expertise in post-legal adoption services.