When prospective adoptive families near the end of their home study process, they finalize their adoption profile book. New Life Adoptions provides detailed guidelines for families as they begin creating their profile; however, it can be overwhelming to sum up your life in one small book! In order to help with this process, we have come up with a few tips to keep in mind along the way.
- Be yourself! – Show who you really are through your pictures and words. If you try to be someone or something you are not, an expectant parent will be able to pick up on that, especially if they choose to meet you in person.
It’s often the little things that connect expectant parents to families, so being yourself is important. – Caitlin, Expectant Parent Social Worker
- Use appropriate language – We all know that the words we use matter. This is especially true when someone will first meet you in writing! It is important to use appropriate adoption terminology and use language that does not assume the expectant parents are placing their child with you – or at all.
- Give a clear picture of your daily lives – Expectant parents want to be able to picture what their child’s life may look like if they choose you as the adoptive parents. Share what your typical day looks like, photos of your home, and which friends and family members are involved in your life.
I had a client share she liked seeing that some families included pictures of their home or nursery because she could envision what their life looks like, and would look like, with a child. – Ali, Expectant Parent Social Worker
- Create balance – It is important to have a balance between words and pictures on each page. A solid page of words may be overwhelming, while a page of pictures with no captions may not give a full representation. Balance your words and pictures, and label your pictures clearly so expectant parents know who or what they are looking at!
I love how each of the profiles I see is so unique; they all show personality really well and who each couple/family is, and I think it helps expectant parents too. It’s been little things like a hobby, what someone does for work, a place they enjoy vacationing, or even pets that clients share as reasons why they want to meet a family – little things that each party can connect on or that they have in common. – Ali, Expectant Parent Social Worker
For additional direction, check out our post that shares about adoptive family profiles from the birth parent perspective!