Holding space for different speeds and needs in family contact and reunion

by Hana Crisp | Nov 19, 2025 | Articles & factsheets, Resources

By Cheyne Bull, General Psychologist & Adoptee Family contact and reunion The decision to try and make contact with people from your family of origin can be a long time in the making. As we discuss in other VANISH articles, people impacted by family separation can...

Mini-Guide 6: Outreach and building relationships with family

by Michelle Blanchard | Nov 19, 2025 | Self-Search Mini Guides

This mini-guide for people searching for family separated by adoption focuses on outreach and building relationships with family.  This resource has been developed by VANISH with the support of the Victorian Government Department of Justice and Community Safety as a...

Navigating searching for birth family and relationship with adoptive family

by Hana Crisp | Oct 21, 2025 | Articles & factsheets, Resources

By Cheyne Bull, General Psychologist & Adoptee The right to search for family    Knowing your birth family (family of origin) is part of our fundamental human right to know our identity. It is natural and normal to want to know about and try to develop a...

Are you searching for a lost family member?

by Hana Crisp | Sep 24, 2025 | Articles & factsheets, Resources

Right now, across Australia many people are searching for a lost family member. In some cases, the cause of the separation is adoption, but this is not always the case. For example, a person may have grown up in a single parent household and now wishes to search for a...

Understanding adoption through an attachment lens: Common impacts and experiences

by Hana Crisp | Sep 24, 2025 | Articles & factsheets, Resources

By Cheyne Bull, General Psychologist & Adoptee What is attachment?  Attachment refers to the patterns of bonding that develop between an infant and their primary caregivers. These relational experiences are key to a baby’s survival and deeply impact comfort,...