The 10 steps to featuring a child

Here is your complete guide to featuring a child who needs adoption or permanent fostering in Be My Parent. You can feature a child on our website, in our newspaper, or in both services.

If you've ever wondered what happens to your referral after it is received at Be My Parent, read on!

Before you make a referral to Be My Parent, please read carefully our service level agreement.

Then follow each step below or, alternatively, click on the link that best answers your query.

1) Check the costs and deadlines
2) Write a profile
3) Get the right consents
4) Make a referral
5) Send us your photographs
6) Use a video or audio clip
7) We get it ready for publication
8) Manage enquiries once the profile is published
9) Cancel a profile
10) Our post-referral service

1) Check the costs and deadlines

Our website contains all the information you need on our costs and deadlines, to help you decide on the type and size of profile, and make sure you don't miss any referral dates.

2) Write a profile

When referring a child or sibling group, you will need to send a profile for them.
Your guide to writing a profile
Length of profiles

3) Get the right consents

You will need to have all the necessary consents before we will publish a child's profile in Be My Parent.

4) Make a referral

Once you have decided which Be My Parent service to use, and the type of profile, you will need to send us your completed referral form. There are two ways to do this:
Use the Be My Parent online system
Use the Be My Parent (hard copy) referral form

5) Send us your photographs

Photographs are an important way for prospective families to connect with the children featured.
Guide to using photographs in Be My Parent, depending on which service you are referring to.
More on sending Be My Parent your photographs.

6) Use a video or audio clip

If referring a child to the Be My Parent website, one of the benefits is that you can add a video or audio clip. These really help bring the child to life. You can supply a video or audio clip yourself, or get one professionally made or edited. You may wish to do this through one of the films companies that we collaborate with.
Guide to video clips
Guide to audio clips
Information about See Me Films and Moving Memories, the film companies that we collaborate with

7) We prepare the profile for publication

What happens between sending in your referral and it being published in Be My Parent? Well, it gets edited in-house and sent to you for approval. Find out more.

8) Manage enquiries once the profile is published

How you receive enquiries about the children you feature in Be My Parent, and what support we offer in managing those.
Read our guidance on managing enquiries.

9) Cancel a profile

Everything you need to know about withdrawing a profile.

10) Our post-referral service

What happens after a profile's referral run has ended?

If you still have any unanswered questions about featuring a child in Be My Parent, please contact us.

If you are having trouble using Be My Parent, please see our frequently asked questions.

Last updated: 08 March 10

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