(a)

Terms Used In Tennessee Code 36-1-134

  • Adopted person: means :
    (A) Any person who is or has been adopted under this part or under the laws of any state, territory, or foreign country. See Tennessee Code 36-1-102
  • Consent: means :
    (A) The written authorization to relinquish a child for adoption, which is given by an agency such as the department or a public child care agency of another state or country or licensed child-placing agency of this or another state, which agency has the authority, by court order or by surrender or by operation of law or by any combination of these, to place a child for adoption and to give permission for the adoption of that child by other persons. See Tennessee Code 36-1-102
  • Conservator: means a person or entity appointed by a court to provide partial or full supervision, protection, and assistance of the person or property, or both, of a disabled adult pursuant to title 34, chapter 1 or the equivalent law of another state. See Tennessee Code 36-1-102
  • court: includes the juvenile court for purposes of the authority to accept the surrender or revocation of surrenders of a child and to issue any orders of reference, orders of guardianship, or other orders resulting from a surrender or revocation that it accepts and for purposes of authorizing the termination of parental rights pursuant to §. See Tennessee Code 36-1-102
  • Department: means the department of children's services or any of its divisions or units. See Tennessee Code 36-1-102
  • Home study: means the product of a preparation process in which individuals or families are assessed by themselves and the department or licensed child-placing agency, or a licensed clinical social worker as to their suitability for adoption and their desires with regard to the child they wish to adopt. See Tennessee Code 36-1-102
  • Legal representative: means :
    (i) The conservator, guardian, legal custodian, or other person or entity with legal authority to make decisions for an individual with a disability or an attorney-in-fact, an attorney at law representing a person for purposes of obtaining information pursuant to this part, or the legally appointed administrator, executor, or other legally appointed representative of a person's estate. See Tennessee Code 36-1-102
  • Licensed child-placing agency: means any agency operating under a license to place children for adoption issued by the department, or operating under a license from any governmental authority from any other state or territory or the District of Columbia, or any agency that operates under the authority of another country with the right to make placement of children for adoption and that has, in the department's sole determination, been authorized to place children for adoption in this state. See Tennessee Code 36-1-102
  • Licensed clinical social worker: means an individual who holds a license as an independent practitioner from the board of social worker certification and licensure pursuant to title 63, chapter 23, and, in addition, is licensed by the department to provide adoption placement services. See Tennessee Code 36-1-102
  • Lineal ancestor: means any degree of grandparent or great-grandparent, either by birth or adoption. See Tennessee Code 36-1-102
  • Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Post-adoption record: means :
    (A) The record maintained in any medium by the department, separately from the sealed record or sealed adoption record and subsequent to the sealing of an adoption record or that is maintained about any sealed record or sealed adoption record. See Tennessee Code 36-1-102
  • Record: means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in a perceivable form. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Representative: when applied to those who represent a decedent, includes executors and administrators, unless the context implies heirs and distributees. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Sibling: means anyone having a sibling relationship. See Tennessee Code 36-1-102
  • written: includes printing, typewriting, engraving, lithography, and any other mode of representing words and letters. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(1) The department, or a licensed child-placing agency or the licensed clinical social worker that has had a prior relationship with the persons stated in § 36-1-133(a) through placement of a child or through a home study process and that maintains a limited record or post-adoption record, shall, subject to the written consent of each party and only in any situation where contact has been sought, transmit between an adopted person twenty-one (21) years of age or older or a person for whom records are maintained as described in § 36-1-127(c)(1)(A), or such person’s legal representative, and such person’s parent, sibling, lineal ancestor or lineal descendant any written, photographic, video or audio communication that such entity may have, and that is not contained in the records of the department, the licensed child-placing agency or the licensed clinical social worker, even if no direct contact is permitted or desired.
(2) If an adopted person or a person for whom records are maintained as described in § 36-1-127(c)(1)(A) is deceased, or is disabled as defined for purposes of appointment of a conservator under title 34, the lineal descendants of such person may petition the court pursuant § 36-1-138(c)(7), to be given access to the records of such person, and to transmit or receive the information permitted by this section.
(b) The adopted person or other persons for whom records are maintained as described in § 36-1-127(c)(1)(A), or such person’s legal representative may, in writing from time-to-time to the department, a licensed child-placing agency, or the licensed clinical social worker, update such person’s personal information, addresses, and telephone numbers in order to allow periodic contact by the department for subsequent search requests, or for other contact by the department or the licensed child-placing agency or the licensed clinical social worker.
(c) The licensed child-placing agency or licensed clinical social worker receiving any updated information pursuant to this section shall provide such information to the department to be included in the post-adoption record for future reference.
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