About Family Tracing

A dedicated team of caseworkers handle more than 2000 new enquiries each year, with searches taking from as little as a few days to up to two years.

All relevant search avenues will be exhausted and the service will support you in reunion or first contact with your family, by acting as an intermediary, or signposting to other services if required. 

We can help to trace known, named relatives over the age of 18, where reconciliation is desired, but there are certain circumstances in which, regrettably, we are unable to help. 

• We are not able to become involved in searches for biological family, where adoption away from birth family has taken place, due to current UK legislation.
• We cannot look for children under 18 years of age, or other 'vulnerable' missing people where a physical search or police involvement would be more appropriate. 
• We do not look for friends or 'possible' relatives and do not carry out family history enquiries.
• We do not look for relatives for estate, legal or other business purposes.

Our success rate is consistently high; we successfully trace 89% of those sought. 

Searching for a relative is sometimes an emotional experience, but can also be a positive step towards the future. Many of those who have used this service have been reunited with their families, building positive relationships and connecting to wider family. Their lives have been transformed and they have received answers to life-long unresolved questions. 

Of course, not every case is the same, and there are those who, for various reasons, will not be reconciled. Using our service gives the person sought freedom to decide how to proceed, and gives both parties a confidential space to explore whether contact should be maintained.  Sometimes people prefer not to have direct contact in the first instance. If this is case, relatives may correspondence via our office for as long as is needed. 

Our clients tell us that making the decision to search for their relative and knowing that they had extended the opportunity of reconciliation to their relative had given them peace of mind. They took action to change their circumstances and the outcome, whatever that was, helped them to move on with their lives.