What You Need to Know About the Adoption Photolisting Process

An adoption photolisting is a great way to find information on a lot of children waiting to be adopted in a short amount of time. Most states will offer some sort of photolisting for adoptions of children who are wards of the State through the website for their Health/Human Services Department.

Often, there are two main options available to those who access an adoption photolisting by such means. Intending applicants may peruse the entire database for the total roster of active cases in a particular jurisdiction or may search for a child based on certain criteria, including any special needs or disabilities that apply.

Adoption photolistings commonly display the same categories of information. In most cases, only basic identifying information is listed. Usually, the child's picture, name, age, sex, and race (of interest to many applicants) will be shown, as well as the case number for that child or children.

Siblings are traditionally listed under the same case number, though sometimes they may be processed separately by caseworkers. In addition, an adoption photolisting may include a brief synopsis on the child's personality, developmental progress, and any emotional or other issues with which a child is trying to cope.

Upon selection of one or more children from the photolisting, prospective adopters will request more detailed information by contacting the agency. It should be noted that delivery of information beyond adoption photolistings is frequently contingent on a few requisites. Prospective parents must first undergo pre-service training to even become eligible to adopt or become a foster parent.

An adoption photolisting is a privilege conferred upon the public and reflects how far adoption has come in just a few decades. Nonetheless, as the training and home study requirements would connote, adoption photolistings are by no means shortcuts to securing rights of custody of a child.

NEXT: Easy Guide to the Adoption Process