An adoptive family profile is a packet of information about yourselves. It is intended to give a birth mother the information she needs in order to fairly consider whether she wants to place her baby with you for adoption. Making the profile genuinely informative is the single most important aspect of its preparation. I have seen many profiles which fail to do this. Some may look very attractive, like professional advertising circulars, but fail to convey the real information needed. I have found that birth mothers with whom I have worked reject such profiles. They tend to regard superficial profiles as a form of insult. The very format suggests to a birth mother that the persons who prepared it assume that she does not want to make an informed choice. It looks as if they thnk that she will make an emotional choice. My experience is that birth mothers think very seriously about this choice.

It is best to think of the profile as having three separate components. They are the “Dear Birthmother” letter, the information section, and carefully chosen photographs.

A witten profile must be easy to read. It must be long enough, but not too long, generally at least five but no more than ten pages. The profile should be typed. Care should be taken in preparing the profile so that it has a sharp appearance. These pieces of paper are the first impression you will make on the birth mother. However, it should not look “canned” and not like everyone else’s.