For anyone who is looking to adopt a child, one of the things they will need to create is an adoption portfolio. This is a collection of photos and information about them and their family. It introduces them to the birth mother and reveals what their lives are like. The adoption portfolio should be approached just like a marketing tool. Ultimately, the adoption portfolio is meant to market the adoptive family to the birth mother as a stable, loving family who would take excellent care of any child given to them, so it should be approached from that standpoint. This is also a good time to determine whether it will be used through a domestic adoption agency or international adoption agency.
The portfolio should portray the Jane Rubin family as the kind of parents they would be. It is important for people to indicate why they want to adopt and what they can provide, who they are looking to adopt, the ages and how many children they desire. It also may be a good idea to include a letter to the birth mother.
When considering constructing the portfolio, people should determine whether they want to make a handmade scrapbook or create one on their computer. If the portfolio is made on the computer, it is easy to make several to provide to multiple agencies.
In the portfolio, it is essential to include positive pictures. All of the pictures should show people smiling, happy and enjoying themselves. It is a good idea to make sure the pictures tell a story, so it is beneficial to put the photos in some kind of order that makes sense. The photographs should be spaced evenly on the page so the portfolio looks attractive and symmetrical.
The parents should choose to show them and their family members doing activities that are typical, so the birth mother can easily see what her child’s life will be like if they adopt him or her. Pets and siblings should be included in the display. If the parents like to travel frequently around the country, they should include pictures of vacations and indicate that they hope to share the experience of traveling to new places with their child. If they get together with their extended family frequently, photographs with these people should be included and their relationships identified.
Before parents make an adoption portfolio, they should check with the adoption agency they are using to make sure that they are following the agency’s portfolio guidelines. The agency will probably look through the portfolio in order to proof it. If the agency chooses something that they think the parents should change, the potential parents should ensure they do so to increase their chances of being selected.