 re
you eager to present yourself to placing parents in the best possible
light? Do you want tailored feedback to help your profile "stand out from the
pack"? Are you ready to tap into insights gleaned from
someone with over ten years of experience in adoption
outreach? If so, request a critique through Adoption Ink,
LLC. |
| |
| What is a
profile? |
| A profile is a "family
resume," or letter of introduction. Most profiles
include photos as well as text. Ideally, these photos and text work
together to create connections between you and expectant parents seeking
an adoptive family like yours. Agencies and posting Web sites
often limit the length of profiles, adding to the
challenge of presenting yourself in the best possible light.
|
| |
| What is a
critique? |
| A critique is a limited
review that helps you turn your current profile into a one-of-a-kind
outreach tool. I spend time up front in the privacy of my
studio noting strengths and making suggestions for
improvement. We then arrange a time to talk on the phone to discuss my comments. Families are free
to ask questions, share concerns, and accept or reject suggestions for improvement as they see fit.
|
| |
| Who may
submit their profile? |
| I will
perform critiques for any family approved for adoption in their state
of residence, and willing to work hard to attract expectant parents most likely to choose them. Families are required
to sign a release form before a critique begins. |
| |
| Why request
a critique? |
| Consider this service if
you: |
- Wish to benefit from techniques that go beyond your agency's
profile training or the scope of
the Standing Out workshop
|
- Need help addressing health problems, one or more biological
siblings-to-be and other potential obstacles
|
- Are adopting for reasons other than infertility
|
- Struggle with writing or expressing yourself creatively
|
- Have grown weary of waiting to make a connection despite
reworking your profile on your own
|
- Simply desire assurance from the get-go that you have presented
yourself as genuinely and as positively as
possible
|
| |
| Is this
service confidential? |
| Yes. Please review my
privacy policy for more information.
|
| |
| What does a
critique cost? |
| Critiques are billed at
$100/hour
and take at least two hours to complete. A $100 deposit is required with your
submitted profile. |
|
| How quickly
is feedback provided? |
| I require seven working days upon receipt of your materials to perform the initial review.
In rare instances, I may require more time to accommodate
workload, personal emergencies and other circumstances. I will
let you know as soon as possible if the time needs to be extended.
|
| |
| Why do some
families request a follow-up critique? |
| Families make changes to
their profile based on my feedback. I often recommend
reorganizing text and photos for greater impact, deleting what
falls short, and introducing new material where needed. Families are often surprised at how much better
their profile looks and reads after a critique. Some prefer
a follow-up critique for extra peace of mind. |
|
| Is feedback
ever given in person? |
| I work with many families
over the phone. However, anyone willing to travel to the
Rochester, Minnesota, area is welcome to meet with me in
person. Several families have taken me up on this
offer. Also, families being served by Lutheran Social Service (LSS) of
Minnesota may request a pocket review. Pocket reviews take
place on workshop days, and are available to past
participants of previous workshops. LSS communicates these
dates in advance to their families. You may also e-mail
for dates and more information. |
| |
| What if a
family wants help creating their entire profile? |
| Adoption Ink, LLC, has
joined forces with Julie Carlson Graphics, LLC, to provide total
profile packages to families seeking graphical assistance as well
as critique services. For more information, please contact Julie
Carlson, also an adoptive parent, at juliegraphics@comcast.net
or (651) 210-0325. |
|
| What happens
if a connection takes place in the middle of either a
critique or a total profile package? |
| You are encouraged to network
and to make available to placing parents your existing profile during
our work together. If someone expresses interest in you as an
adoptive family, you are free to stop work to pursue a
possible match. You
will be invoiced only for services rendered up to the point that you
inform us. If desired, you may resume services at a later
date. Please know that some families prefer to continue our
work together in the event a match does not take place. This
is a personal choice that each family must make for themselves. |
| |
| Family crises and other
factors may also interrupt or end our work together. Rest assured that
your needs will be respected. |
| |
| What is
needed to begin a critique? |
| I request the following: |
- Your current adoption profile, preferably with photographs
incorporated.
|
- Any agency forms or information sheets included as part of
your profile. These usually relate to your family makeup and
background, your interest in openness or future contact with
placing parents, and/or your comfort level with medical or background
issues possibly affecting a child.
|
- A note sharing any concerns about your family, background or
profile in general.
|
- A brief statement outlining your feelings, opinions and
concerns about openness, or future contact with placing parents.
|
- Your contact information including mailing address, e-mail
address and phone numbers (home, work and cell).
|
- The name and phone number of your agency, social
worker or attorney to show that you are approved for adoption in
your state of residence.
|
- A signed release form available by e-mail.
|
- A check or money order for $150.
|
| |
| I will inform you by phone
or e-mail when your critique is underway. |
| |
| All this
sounds like a lot of effort. Do critiques really make a
difference? |
| Taking part in a critiques allows you to present yourselves in the best possible light, which
encourages placing parents to believe in you. Only then will they consider you as
an adoptive family for their child. While no one can guarantee a
successful adoption (please read my
disclaimer), experience and input from social workers have shown
that families who go the extra mile often reap the rewards of their
efforts. That has certainly been the case with many of my
families. Yes, critiques require work and time.
Then again, so do children. |
| |
| Why don't
you share the lengths of times your families have waited before
receiving a baby? |
| Frankly, I find such numbers
deceptive. The wait varies from family to family because
some do more outreach, or sign on with agencies that do more
outreach; work with more than one agency or attorney, or with
agencies with smaller pools of waiting families; make themselves open to
different ethnicities; or simply run into ideal matches sooner rather than
later. I've helped many families connect with placing
parents, and those connections led to adoption plans that
benefitted everyone involved. That is my ultimate goal in
serving the adoption community. |
| |
| * |
I am continually updating my profile workshop,
Standing Out, to incorporate new ideas and to reflect the
changing face of open adoption. If you attended an earlier
version of the workshop, it may have gone by a different name. |
| |
| Copyright @ 2002, Adoption
Ink, LLC |
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