Can we help?
Cases we can and can't help with
Who does The Salvation Army's Family Tracing Service try to find?
Known and named relatives over the age of 18 years
The Army's procedures are inappropriate for locating children, and usually the police would accept responsibility in such cases.
Wives and husbands
Wives or husbands may reach breaking point for a variety of reasons and leave home, or may depart because they have found an attractive relationship elsewhere.
Long lost relatives
This is an area in which The Salvation Army specializes. More than once we have broken the world record in reuniting relatives who have been out of touch for over 80 years.
Parents of children in care
Parents sometimes need to be traced when their children in care have special problems, or perhaps where consent for adoption is sought. The Salvation Army would usually act on behalf of local authorities in such cases.
Emigrant families
Contact may have been lost with members of family who emigrated ? often to the former British Commonwealth. The passing of years frequently brings an increasing need to restore a family link. Investigations can often be put in hand where basic general information is available.
Additionally
Hospitals sometimes need to contact next of kin to a patient who is seriously ill; or a prisoner about to be released may seek help to trace his/her family; or a visit can often be arranged to a sick or elderly relative who has ceased to communicate. Sometimes, other matters to do with identity and relationships can also be dealt with, although each request can only be considered on merit.
Who is not included in the tracing programme?
Friends
The daily demands of tracing family members are so great that the Department cannot undertake to trace those with whom no formal relationship exists.
Young people under the age of 18 years
The Salvation Army's methods and procedures are not appropriate for tracing children. In such cases, there are usually no transfers, registrations or reference requests to follow up. The Family Tracing Service cannot, therefore, undertake to look for juveniles. This is recognized as a police responsibility. (It should be noted that The Salvation Army cannot as a rule conduct physical searches.) If a child is believed to be in the company of an adult relative whose full name and date of birth can be provided, it may sometimes be possible to make contact with that person.
A birth parent on behalf of adopted or non-marital children
Whilst the Department has every sympathy with an adopted or illegitimate person seeking the whereabouts of his or her natural parent, there is no way of knowing that parent's present domestic circumstances, and the risk of disrupting a happy family unit is too great. In addition, the basic information required is often not available in such cases. For further information refer to Info sheet: Adoption and Info Sheet: Father of a child born outside marriage
A person who was placed for adoption shortly after birth
The Family Tracing Service cannot act on behalf of a parent (or relative) wishing to trace a child who was placed for adoption at some time after birth. On adoption, a child is issued with a new birth certificate, showing the names of the adoptive parents, and the new names which they have given to the child. It is not enough simply to know the names by which the child was originally registered, since there is no accessible cross-reference between this entry and an adoption record.
A child born of a non-marital relationship who is sought by the father
Very often, in circumstances such as this, the child stays with the mother, who later marries. The child is then brought up by a step-father whom he or she comes to acknowledge as father, usually taking the step-father's surname. In many cases, the birth father has not signed the birth registration, and his name will therefore not be on the certificate. Any attempt to communicate with either the child or the present family could cause a measure of embarrassment.
A husband or wife sought for divorce purposes
The service exists only for the purpose of trying to restore family relationships, and to encourage reunion and reconciliation.
Relatives for estate, legal or other business purposes
Genealogical requests
The service can only carry out searches for known relatives, who might be expected still to be alive. It cannot help with Family Trees, or find out whether the enquirer might have relatives.
'Common law' partners or fiance
If your request falls outside our tracing programme, could we suggest you try looking at the pages www.look4them.org.uk. It may be possible for one of the other members of this site to help with your particular search.