| The Right to Know Who You Are Keith Griffith MBE
Keith Griffith was in the forefront of successful reform adoption laws New Zealand which first effort anywhere world to secure open records legislation. He is an adopted person who has published four books on and several articles social work journals. Through research for the Adult Adoption Bill (New Zealand), he compiled 16 volumes of material on New Zealand adoption. New Zealand Adoption Handbook was funded by the Law Foundation and supervised at the Victoria Law School, Wellington, New Zealand. He is a well known speaker in the U.S.A. and Canada.
New Zealand Adoption - History & Reform |
Foreword - Dirck W. Brown, Ed.D., "
Keith Griffith has provided a long overdue and much needed book which will occupy a unique place in the literature of adoption. Organized into eighteen chapters ranging from open adoption to adoption law reform. The Right to Know Who You Are presents an encyclopedic overview of the life long adoption experience. It is a tribute to Keith's determination, thoughtfulness, and concern for openness, honesty and integrity in adoption that he has presented in one volume such a comprehensive treatment of adoption issues. Its special attraction is that its author, Keith Griffith, was instrumental in the first successful effort anywhere in the world to secure open record legislation. Because of Keith's leadership in securing open records for all of New Zealand, this book carries throughout the mark of genuine authenticity and expertise not often found in a collection about adoption. Because Keith and his colleagues in New Zealand engaged in a ten year effort to educate the public and its elected officials about the need for open records the reader is presented with an inside view of what it takes to realize such a remarkable achievement. This book is unique in all the adoption literature. In one section entitled "Persistence - in for the long haul" Keith states: "If you fail, then try again. It took at least three private members' bills (in N.Z.) and years of slogging before we succeeded. Make sure politicians are left in no doubt that the problem will not go away without resolve."This illustrates the intense commitment and unceasing energy Keith Griffeth brings to his work. No one interested in changing adoption records legislation need look any further for a guide to how the world of secrecy and deception which forms the basis for sealed records everywhere can be transformed into a world of openness, honesty and integrity. It is a story of hope and possibility. It portrays a lesson in what can be accomplished when grass-roots education and advocacy becomes the daily commitment of adoption triad members and colleagues throughout the spectrum of community leadership. Adoption triad members, social workers, community leaders, lay and professional can organize and secure open records if they take this book seriously. For the central message of this book is that it can be done.
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