Fixed Waiting List vs Pooling/Profile List

Almost all adoption agencies have more adopting persons looking to adopt than there are birth parents looking to place infants or young babies for adoption. Accordingly, almost all adopting families find themselves looking at a waiting list or waiting period.

This is handled by most agencies by creating a "pooling program" and using profiles, and by a few agencies, such as ours, using a "fixed waiting list" as well as a Profile Program.

As you continue to read keep in mind that while our agency uses a fixed waiting list, we do have a Profile Program for those adopting families who want maximum exposure.

In a pooling program, the adopting family develops a written and picture resume (called a "profile") and this profile is put into a big "pool" with all the other families working with the agency. A birthparent then "dives into the pool (so to speak) and swims around" looking at all the adopting family profiles until she finds a family that she likes.

This is good for an adopting family if the "pool" does not have many profiles, if the family is highly desirable (e.g. is young, is attractive physically, has a very large home, etc.), and if they want an open adoption where the birth parents know all about the adopting family.

However, if the adopting family wants a closed adoption, are of a minor religion, do not look good in a picture, are older, divorced, have kids already, etc., and/or the pool has many families, the adopting family can find themselves waiting a very long and unpredictable time since they are constantly skipped over. Our Fixed Waiting List Program solves this problem.

In a fixed waiting list, as opposed to a pooling program, the adopting family is placed on a waiting list on a first come basis in the order in which they register with the agency.

Then, based on the type of child the adopting family outlines and on the restrictions they place on the birth mother and child, the adopting family is matched with the birth parents and their requirements. This allows the agency to treat each adopting family the same and allows for an open or closed adoption.

On the birth parents side of the adoption, many birth mothers and fathers appear to like this fixed waiting list program since they have the opportunity to think carefully about all the things they want in an adopting family and they can carefully give all of their restrictions/desires to the agency.

The agency in turn finds the first family on the list who meets all the birth parents’ requirements and a match is then made. Birth mothers and birth fathers like the fact that the agency does the work for them and they do not have to sift through a bunch of profiles and decide.

However, since some birth parents prefer to look at profiles, we have a Profile Program to help them and you. This program is an addition to our Fixed Waiting List program.

Since 1985, our not-for-profit agency has helped over 9000 pregnant women, birth parents and families. Feel free to call (1(800)943-0400) or click on the link Contact Us. We have a five-star rating on Google.  You can always visit our testimonial pages (see the link on the right).