Now that Arianne Riebel, our Director of Foster Care and Adoption Programs, touched on many steps of the adoption process through her blog series, she wanted to turn it over to one of our Adoption Coordinators, Kimberly Beck, who will fill families in on some of the more fine-tuned parts of the process. This week, she wanted to go more in depth about the Family Profile Page.
One Page Profile
One of the first things we will ask you to do after your home study is approved is ask you to create your family’s “one page profile.” A family profile is a “one-pager” that is our way of showing the CPS workers reading your home study who you are apart from your actual home study. Consider your family profile, along with your ”family book,” supporting documents to your home study… With the goal of CPS getting to know you better as a family. We want to make sure CPS has everything needed to know who you are and what sets you apart. This is a perfect way to start!
The Template
After your home study is approved, you will receive a template for your family profile. This will be in the form of a word document, from your “match” worker. You and your family then get to create your one-pager. Share a family picture, a short paragraph for each family member with hobbies, interests, etc., information regarding any pets, and information about the child(ren) you are interest in. This is your opportunity to tell the CPS worker what you want them to know about you and your family. Be creative and as thorough as possible!
If you put something in there about all of your trips to Disney, it may catch the CPS worker’s eye… Because the child we submitted you for LOVES Mickey Mouse. Or maybe your family takes part in a family bake-a-thon every year… And the child they are looking to match loves to cook! Hopefully, you are starting to see the importance of putting time into this “one-pager!”
Timeline
The sooner you can complete and return your profile to your “match” worker, the better! We can start submitting your home study for children as soon as it is approved. However, we really don’t like to send your home study without your personalized family profile. We never know when we will receive a broadcast for a child you are eligible to be submitted for. So the sooner we are prepared and ready to do so, the better. Your home study is very lengthy, very wordy, and mostly filled with facts. Although these facts are important and very much needed, it is easy for your family to get lost. Lost in the mix of all of the other home studies submitted from other agencies for the same child(ren).
We want to help set you apart. We feel the profile page helps get you noticed to increase your chance of finding the best match. Our goal in utilizing your profile page is allowing CPS the opportunity to get to know you outside of your home study and to see a face to your name.
Usages
In addition to using your family profile to submit alongside your home study when being considered as a possible match, your “match” worker also uses these when attending match events. By having these, it is a quick, easy, and appealing way to get your family known. When attending a match event, your worker will hand these out to CPS workers for them to remember you or to pass along to their coworkers who may have not been able to attend themselves but have a child on their caseload they feel you may be a match for. We encourage every family to complete a family profile and for it to remain current throughout your matching process, so please send an updated version to your “match” worker should anything change.
Communication is key throughout this process and it is very important to communicate any changes to the family or home at any time throughout the process so that we have the most accurate information and your journey is not delayed. Feel free to reach out to your “match” worker while creating your profile with any questions and you are encouraged to be open to any changes your worker may suggest before approving. Lastly, please double check your spelling and grammar to ensure your family profile is grammatically correct and take your time completing it. You may remember hearing us say that this process is mostly out of your control… this “one-pager” is all you! So make it count!
About The Author
As the Adoption Coordinator, Kimberly Beck, LPC works with South Texas families once they match with a placement of a child. She supports adoptive parents, supervises cases, and develops resources, including the child’s health and psychological records. She has completed her Bachelor’s in Psychology and her Master’s in Mental Health Counseling. You can read more about Kimberly here.