Adoption is a legal process, during which a child or teenager whose birth family is not in the position to take care of him/her is given the chance to be a member of a family environment. This could be because the parents are deceased or because their rights to their children have been terminated, either through a legal decision or voluntarily.

Most of the European countries, including Greece, use the method of closed adoption where the child is a full member of the adoptive family (article 1561, Legal Law 2447/96). The child is allowed to learn from his/her adoptive parents about the adoption but any information about the birth family is provided only to adults (the adoptee has to be at least 18 years old). This legal limitation is because an adult can better understand both the social role of the adoption as well as the importance of the birth environment for a person's biological continuity.
Roots Research Centre carries out family searches based on the article 1559, Legal Law 2471/96, stating that the adoptive child has, after his coming of age, the right to be completely informed by his adoptive parents and from every qualified authority about the records of his biological parents.

After having received the request (within the relevant legal framework) from the adult adoptee, the centre works together with the adoptee as his/her legal representative in order to search for the interested person's roots.

The following services are offered to adult adoptees:
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"The adoptive child has, after his coming of age, the right to be fully informed from his adoptive parents and from every qualified authority about the records of his biological parents"
Legal Law 2471/96, on "adoption, custody and minors foster care".

Consultancy provided by expert social workers regarding the handling of difficulties during the search process.

Since 1999 the Centre has carried out cases regarding:
a) adult adoptees in search for their birth families (600 cases)
b) birth relatives in search for adoptees (200 cases)
c) search requests by parents whose babies "disappeared" after their birth in maternity hospitals
(350 cases)
In order to carry out the work, Roots is working together with all the Greek foundling hospitals, active or not. Regarding the inactive foundling hospitals, such as the ones in the areas of Patra, Athens, Piraeus, Kalamata, Herakleion, Crete, Volos and the hospital PIKPA, Roots collaborates with the social services that mediates and helps the gaining of access to their records.
Regarding the active foundling hospitals, the rest of PIKPA, Mitera, the prefectures and the International Social Service (ISS) the same procedure is followed but often obstacles are met due to the reluctance of the corresponding legal services to interfere with such delicate issues.

Roots Center has helped a great number of applicants both in Greece and abroad to reunite with their birth families, always using legally accepted means of search.

"The reason why I conducted the search was to find someone I shared the same blood with… I wanted my birth mother to know that I had been thinking about her often…" testimonial by an adult female adoptee.

Another important issue for our Centre is that many families approach us asking for information on adopting a child. Unfortunately, such a service is not yet available and we forward all these families to the relevant institutions.

"Children simply come to us needing so much love and understanding. Foster care is a partnership. Children should have a permanent home rather than staying in institutions. Foster care really helps children who are experiencing a difficult time and going through a bad patch. "

"I would like to know about my mother. What's the colour of her hair.. Is she in good health? Did she have a good and happy life?" testimonial by an adult male adoptee.