Adoptive Parents:
Preparing A Family Profile–

Your family profile is often a birthparent's first introduction to your family, so it should provide a picture of what the child's life will be like with you.

Content Ideas

Opening/Introduction

Your family profile is often a birthparent's first introduction to your family, so it should provide a picture of what the child's life will be like with you.

Biographies

Briefly describe your lives, and include highlights.

• Have you always lived in the same town?
• Did your family travel during summer vacations?
• Where did you go to college?
• Does one of you have a mischievous nature?
• Your relationship.
• How did you meet?
• How long have you known each other?
• What strengths do you each bring to your marriage?
• Your lives now.
• What do you both do for a living?
• What do you both enjoy about your jobs?
• What hobbies do you pursue?
• Do you have pets?
• Do you attend church?
• Do you go out regularly with a special group of friends?

Your Family

• Do you have lots of siblings?
• Do you visit each other frequently?
• Do you have relatives who are adopted or adoptive parents?
• How does your family feel about your decision to adopt?

Your Community

Describe any special features about your home and community that makes it enjoyable for you and that makes it a positive environment for a family, but do not make it sound like a real estate ad!

• Do you live in or near a large town?
• Are you in a house or an apartment?
• Are there a lot of children in your neighborhood?
• Do you enjoy attending cultural festivals, theater presentations, or concerts in your community?

Life as Parents

• Why do you want to adopt?
• How do you expect your lives to change when a child enters your life?
• What experiences with children have you had?
• Given your work situations, who will be available to be with the child after placement?
• What are your long-range child care plans - flexible schedules, one parent at home, in home care?

Child desired

If you are interested in a child of another race or ethnic group, you may want to mention this, either within the profile or in a separate cover letter to our office.

Relationship with birth parents

You may want to mention how you see your relationship with the birth parents, especially the birth mother.

• Do you want to meet her?
• Exchange letters and pictures?
• How flexible are you about the openness in your relationship?

Photographs

Like the text, photos should convey your personality and lifestyle. Include pets, your home, hobbies or activities, and at least one shot of the two of you that shows your faces clearly. Photos should be in focus and not be over or under developed. Be sure to include captions.

As you write, it may sound like the biographical information in your home study. However, this is written TO THE BIRTH PARENTS, who will not see your home study.

DO NOT:

• Try to present yourselves as what you think a birth parent might want, but as you really are.

• Include identifying information (last names, address, telephone number, name of workplace or church) unless your intermediary has requested it.

• Hand write information unless specifically requested by your intermediary.

• Forget to ask your intermediary for specific guidelines - information to be included, number of photographs, length, etc.