It’s said that a picture is worth a thousand words. When you see a child’s picture on a photolisting, at times you can feel an instant connection. As a hopeful adoptive parent, your mind begins to picture that very child in your home. All the possibilities of your futures together began to dance in your head. Personally, I find the photolistings very helpful. When it comes to foster care adoptions, you constantly hear about the hundreds of thousands of kids in foster care waiting to be adopted. I feel photolistings put a real face on those stats.
The creation of photolistings has helped thousands of children find their forever homes over the years. Without the photos, I feel there would be more children waiting then there are now. Photolistings are very useful when it comes to the adoption of older children in foster care, especially from ages 8 and up. Naturally, the younger children do not last long on photolistings, but for our older children in care, a photolisting can be critical when searching for a forever home.
The adoption photolistings can reach more families than any social worker could on their own. National and state photolistings are able to reach more waiting families in different regions and states, which makes a child’s chances of finding a permanent home greater. Not only are sites using photos but now they are uploading videos. I think the videos add a nice touch to the child’s profile. The videos give an opportunity for potential families to see and hear the child, which could ultimately help them reach a final decision to inquire on that child.
Please note, the majority of the children listed on photolistings are considered “hard to place”, meaning they have suffered some severe trauma or could have some disabilities that may require extra care (which is not their fault). Remind yourself, just because the children on this list may be considered hard to place doesn’t mean they should be considered unadoptable in your eyes. It doesn’t mean they are incapable of receiving or returning the love. It means they have yet to find the right adult or family to help them reach their full potential. This person could be you, but you will never know until you give them a fighting chance.
Unfortunately, not everyone feels photolistings are the best way to find our children in permanent homes. Some feel a picture degrades the child and a paragraph about them reveals too much information. They feel that it leaves a child open to being bullied in school. Personally, I’ve never known any child to randomly start searching for foster care photolistings, but I digress.
Luckily, there are many effective ways to help our youth in foster care find permanent homes. With social media and the internet being the leading way for millions to gather information, having our children on photolistings seems very beneficial. There are numerous sites with photolistings available to you both locally and nationally. So, whether you are a hopeful adoptive parent or a seasoned adoptive parent go have a look at a few children in need of a home. Get involved.
