Conn. Agencies Regs. § 7-53-1 - Procedures for creating and indexing confidential adoption records

(a) In creating the new birth certificate, also referred to as the "replacement certificate", and the confidential adoption file authorized under section 7-53 of the Connecticut General Statutes, and to properly store the confidential file, the following steps shall be followed:

(1) The original birth certificate shall be retrieved and the information contained on such certificate shall be carefully matched to the information recorded on the record of adoption in order to verify that the correct birth certificate is being processed.

(2) A new birth certificate shall be created by entering the new parental information, as indicated on the adoption decree, into the electronic birth registry system and changing the name of the child, if so ordered by the court decreeing the adoption. The state file number from the original birth certificate shall be recorded on the face of the new birth certificate.

(3) A certified copy of the new certificate shall be sent either through mail or electronically to all local registrars of vital statistics who have the original certificate on file, along with a letter informing the local registrar that the original birth certificate has been replaced for reasons of adoption, and instructing the local registrar to place the original birth certificate in a confidential file and to replace it with the new certificate.

(4) The Department of Public Health shall place the certified copy of the original birth certificate, the evidence of adoption, copies of letters to the local registrars of vital statistics and the notification letter to adopting parent(s), in a confidential file, except that, for cases in which a new birth certificate is not prepared, the certified copy of the original birth certificate shall not be included in the confidential file. Upon notification from the Department of Public Health, the local registrar shall place the original birth certificate, or certified copy of the birth certificate, if applicable, and the notification letter received from the Department of Public Health in a confidential file. For cases in which a new birth certificate is not created, a copy of the notification letter received from the Department of Public Health shall be attached to the original certificate that is kept on file. The creation of the confidential file shall conform to the following procedures:

(A) The Department of Public Health and local registrars shall set aside a confidential file, in which all adoption records shall be kept in sealed envelopes. The file shall be initialed "C.F." by local registrars and "A.F." by the Department of Public Health. The Department of Public Health and local registrars shall number all adoptions as they receive them; such as C.F. 1; C.F. 2; etc.

(B) In the index of the bound original birth, the new name of the adopted person shall be entered where it should properly come in alphabetical order. The original name and the new name listed in such index shall contain no reference to the confidential file number. A separate index shall be created for adoption records, listing the confidential file number along with the original name, new name of the adopted person, and the state file number that was assigned to the birth certificate.

(5) Unless otherwise provided by statute, access to the adoption index and the confidential adoption files, either in paper, electronic, micrographic, digital or other format, shall be restricted to Department of Public Health vital records staff as designated by the registrar of vital records, and to local vital records staff as designated by the local registrar.

Notes

Conn. Agencies Regs. § 7-53-1

Adopted effective July 19, 2005