Anyone ever adopt a child they saw on a Photolisting?

I think, quite often, they use the photolistings to generate interest in their particular adoption program, not so much to find particular parents for particular children. I know that AFTER we were matched/chosen and in the process of transition with our sons that they were put up on the photolisting. The social worker was overwhelmed with phone calls etc ... but said they sometimes "put the cute ones up" because it gets them lots of homestudies to choose from for other kids. We "found" our children by networking with other adoptive parents who had successfully adopted through specific DFS agencies. It would give us a name and a phone number to start with ... I would contact the swer, tell them I was homestudy ready and send an info package of our family with a copy of the homestudy. What they really wanted was a picture, with a one page attachment listing off what we wanted and were approved for. (ie number of children, age, race, disabilities etc). Then I called every 3rd monday letting them know we were still available and were willing to examine any profiles. Basically I ANNOYED them :) but they couldnt forget about me. It took 11 months until we were matched with our boys ... and one month to get them home.

That kind of makes me mad to think that they may only be putting the "cute" kids on the photolistings to get more homestudies. It is like bait and switch. It just seems unethical. I mean if the kids on there is matched they should not have been put on the list. It also seems to be needlessly exploiting them. I would not like that if I had been their adoptive parents. The photolistings had been such a great resource for us and gave us hope of a match seeings our worker is leaving it up to us. :(

In the UK they are not allowed to advertise kids once they are matched with prospective parents. Infact the Adoption UK magasine often has a space with withdrawn printed across it where a child has been matched before going to print. I have never come across an instance where the child was matched before printing. Don't give up. The right child is there. hugs

Photolistings keep all of us going when we are in the search phase! If your worker wishes you to locate the child or children that is fine but that means that she should have a "form" letter ready to go for you at all times that can be modified for the particular situation. How is she handling children that the worker will only speak with your worker on (such as Oregon / Northwest Adoption Exchange websites)? One avenue we took to "sell ourselves" was to write a letter to every DSS office in our state ... one page! ... identified that we had recently completed our homestudy, training, etc. and were now in the search for a match/placement, simple paragraph about us (we live in *, make up of family, etc.), identify what age/sex etc. of child you'd like and provide your workers phone # to obtain homestudy/history. Yes - I know - all that in one page! but it worked. Hope this helps

Well we have no "form" letter or even a copy of our homestudy. Shoulnt we get a copy of our homestudy so we can send it out? She basically told us it is up to us to find a child and we took that to mean dont bother her. She is doing our homestudy but I think mostly deals with doing homestudies for foster families that are adopting their foster kids. I gave her a list of 5 kids and she only called on 1 two weeks later and when my husband asked her about the others she said she did not call on the others because the first one was available. But she said it was up to us to fill out an interest form with them(which I had already done)but she made not mention of getting them a homestudy. We are just learning this process so can anyone recommend any books?

In reference to the photolistings. I can only speak of Missouri, but the children listed there who say "on hold" have already had a staffing done and family chosen even though they may not have been finalized. Someone told me Kansas has a great site but it is really hard to find and you have to register to search.....maybe someone else here could help you with a web address for that one.

Fosterma ... just so you know, our boys were adopted from Missouri and were still placed as available on the photolisting after being matched with us. I think its done at the social workers discretion... and such a slow process that it it sometimes it does get overlapped.

As far as the homestudy, we have a copy, but it's the unofficial copy. Some states ask us to submit so I send them that along with the online profile our agency has on us. Other states contact your worker directly for the homestudy --- those are the ones I'm more leary about....whether contact was made, whether our worker followed though, etc.

i have applied for several kids on the net, never been chosen though. I have found that when a listing says ,must be youngest or only child in household, USUALLY means sexual abuse,therefore certainly the agency wouldnt dare put the child in a home with any other kids.Seems like all i look at say that, and if it doesnt in the summery, when i call about one whose summery looks like the perfect child,there is sexual abuse, with acting out, self mutilation(cutting themself) and such.POOR KIDS!!!! MAKES ME WANT TO CRY. Good luck to you though! I do know of 1 couple in my town who adopted 2 brothers of the net and so far so good with the placement of 11 months.

We were recently selected for a sibling group from another state because of an interest form that I submitted on line. I e-mailed our homestudy, photos of our family, and a form letter introducing us. Once I began activey searching the internet photo listings (and I do mean actively) we started getting calls. We were called by the social worker for the children and given some background info on the kids and later interview over the phone. We were actually being considered for three different sibling groups from different states at the same time. We were selected for two of the sibling groups. Unfortunatly, we felt one group needed more than we were capable of. At this point we are planning our first visit with the children this month and making plans to move them here. We have spoke with them a few times on the phone and things are going great. We cant wait to meet them... My advice to anyone hoping to adopt would be to become very active in your search. Although we have a wonderful social worker, she didnt have the time to research the internet for possible children. I e-mailed and faxed our homestudy, photo, and letter out every week to different states that had children on the photolisting that we were interested in and it did pay off finally. Dont give up!!!! Be persistant... It does happen. Jennifer Soon to adopt a sibling group of three. two boys ages 8 and 7 a girl age 3

We found our daughter on the Pennsylvania photolisting. Every Monday I looked through each state and called workers and sent out homestudies. We went to committee three times for children we found and were finally chosen for my daughter. It works but it takes a lot of action on your part. We became sales people selling ourselves. A vast majority of the children on photolistings have significant issues and you have to know what you can handle and wade through them. Just be sure not to accept a placement beyond what you can support.

Like roomformore, we are also waiting for a copy of our homestudy. We were told, though, that it was only "good" for our county; we couldn't use it anywhere else. For those of you who sent yours out, were you told this? Or was your homestudy done by a private agency and "good" anywhere? I have read that sometimes a county will allow their homestudy to be used elsewhere if the adoptive parents or the other county reimburses the original county's cost...anyone know anything about that? Is this true only after six months from completion of the homestudy? I was looking at the Northwest Adoption Exchange website and on many of the profiles (if not all) it said "purchase of services available" or something to that effect. I like the idea of sending a letter with a brief profile and/or copy of our homestudy to other counties. Did you let your SW know you were doing this and what was their response? Anybody tried this approach in California? Thanks! Lynn

OUr homestudy was partially subsidized by the state, so we were told we had to give our state 3 months exclusivity and then we could use it however we want, however it won't work International, jsut because an International homestudy is different. As I understand it, after so long you should be able to use it with other states. I do not have the "official, signed copy" but I do have a copy which faxes just fine. An online friend of mine in VA has to give her county a full year before she can use her homestudy elsewhere.

We went the photolisting route. We were considered at commitee more than once, but finally selected for our girls. (It was out of state.) The pursuit of the photo-listed child was long & tedious, but it paid off in the end.

It's exciting to see other MO here. Aside from photolistings, we get emails sent to us from the county with available children. All counties send these to each other, and then our county emails them to adoptive familes. I've noticed that these kids are not on the website photolistings, but some do end up there eventually. Does your state or county do this?