How to Find the Best Adoptive Parent Profiles
Adoption profiles can give you a glimpse into the lives of families who are hoping to become parents through adoption. As a birth parent, this is one of the best opportunities for you to find someone who fits your ideal vision of a future for your child.
You can look at online adoptive parent profiles now if you click here, or talk to an adoption agency if you click here. Below we will share the steps to finding the best adoptive parent profiles online.
Step 1: Choose Adoption Openness
Before you begin thinking about the perfect family for your child, it is helpful to consider the type of adoption you would prefer, as this will determine what families and adoption agencies are best for you.
There are three main types of adoption for newborns:
- Open Adoption: In open adoption, birth parents stay in contact with their child and their child’s adoptive parents based on preferences they outlined before the adoption occurred. This can mean anything from email or picture and letter updates to yearly in-person visits, or a combination.
- Closed Adoption: In closed adoption, you are anonymous to the adoptive family and contact is limited—you may have mediated contact, but it is up to you how much. This form of adoption is relatively uncommon.
- Semi-Open Adoption: Semi-open adoption is the midway between open and closed adoption, allowing some contact, but keeping some details private and usually communicating through a third party (usually your adoption agency).
Most adoptions now are semi-open or open because of research on closed vs. open adoption, but it is always up to the birth parents to decide what is best for their adoption.
It is OK to change your mind about your openness preferences during your pregnancy, but it is important to find an agency and adoptive family that are on the same page as you—that way once your child is born you can continue your relationships in the way that is best for everyone.
Adoption agencies like American Adoptions and Family Connections Christian Adoptions offer services for open adoptions as well as other forms of adoption.
Step 2: Find an Adoption Agency
Your next step is to seek out adoption agencies. This is an important step because adoption agencies can help you access the services you will need for your pregnancy and adoption.
Some agencies only handle closed adoptions, while other agencies may handle semi-open, open, or all three.
It is important to note that some small agencies may only have a handful of prospective adoptive parent profiles while other larger adoption agencies will have several options for you to choose from. It is often best to look at larger adoption agencies, as you will have more options to choose the perfect adoptive family for your child.
The best agencies have 24/7 support for birth parents, will be able to help you find adoptive parents, and will never charge you for adoption costs. In fact, some agencies may be able to help you access support for your financial needs. You can read more about the best agencies here.
Step 3: Imagine the Ideal Family for Your Child
The ideal adoptive family looks different for everyone. If you don’t know what to do first, a great start is to think about your preferences for how you would like your child to grow up. Below are some common questions that you can ask yourself as you think about your child’s future.
- Do I want my child to have siblings?
- Do I want my child to have pets?
- What kind of activities would I like my child to share with their adoptive family?
- Is it important that adoptive parents share my religious or personal beliefs?
- Is it important that my child’s adoptive parents share my culture?
- What type of parenting would I like for my child?
- Do I want my child to grow up in the country or in the city?
- Do I want my child to go to public school or private school?
- Is higher education important for my child’s adoptive parents?
Step 4: Search for Families Based on Your Preferences
Once you have thought through some of the ideal qualities you are looking for in an adoptive family, it may be a good time to begin looking through adoptive parent profiles. Some online adoption profiles are searchable, so if you are looking for a specific quality in adoptive parents, you can use search functions like the one available here.
Step 5: Get to Know a Potential Adoptive Family
Looking through adoption profiles online can help you get to know families. In some profiles, you may be able to see letters to potential birth parents, pictures, information about the family, and in some cases, video profiles.
While you can find out a lot about an adoptive family through their online profile or video profile, the best way to get to know a family is to reach out to an adoption professional. Adoption professionals can help you find the perfect adoptive family and can set up meetings with adoptive families once you are ready.