What is Adoption Photolisting?

Adoption photolisting is a comprehensive list of photos and information of children for adoption. This list is made available by an adoption agency or your local Division of Social Services.

Photolistings once started out as books only available at national or local agencies, with updates sent out by subscription. However, photolisting on the web is now favored because a photo, description and medical information can be included on each child.

After you have read the description of a child you can then request more information.

Where can one locate a Photolist?

They are available in every state and most international countries. They can be located on U.S websites, however are not so commonly used on Canadian websites as yet.

What are the Benefits of Adoption Photolisting?

Adoption photolisting is such a powerful way to motivate people even remotely interested in adopting. Most people have a statistic in the back of their minds, knowing that there are millions of children around the world without a home. But that's just it, it's just a statistic.

With a list of photos of children for adoption, you are no longer dealing with just a statistic, it is reality. Adoption photo listing places a face where it used to be just a number. Not only does it become a picture, but it describes the child. It gives the child's age, birthdate, state of residence, and the child's likes and dislikes.

So, first of all, the child wanting to be adopted gets their face out there for adoptive parents to see and

Secondly, the adoptive parents have a chance to see pictures of children available for adoption and learn about them giving them more to go on than just a picture or a number.

It's Not Just for the Children

Adoption photolisting is also for the families and couples that want to adopt. They are thoroughly screened and have completed any prescreening assessments. The information provided by them are such things as age, when where they married, details about their family life and hobbies.

Any information about the children they may already have and whether they are biological or adopted. They also need to explain why they would like to adopt and raise a child.

Disadvantages of Adoption Photolisting

1. One of the objections to photolisting sites is that they do not respect a child's privacy and feelings. Older children- and their classmates - know that their picture is on the Internet, and that no-one is choosing them.

2. Some will say that another disadvantage is that it takes away the element of surprise. When people become parents through natural means, they are not able to see what their child is going to look like or know beforehand what the child is going to like or dislike.

For the Protection of the Child

Some sites will restrict the information displayed, use false names or will not show actual pictures of the children, but use models instead. (The site should tell you if it does this). On other sites you will have to register and get a password in order to get access to photolistings.

All in all adoption photolisting seems to have helped raise the number of children adopted and also helps with parents that want to adopt.