Agency FAQs

Answers to FAQs from agencies:

How do I use this service?
How do I know the Be My Parent website is safe and secure?
How secure are the children's video clips?
What information should be included in the profile?
Is there a word limit on children’s profiles on the website?
Is there a word limit on children's profiles in the newspaper?
Why are there three different areas of children’s profiles?
How much freedom do agencies have over what goes onto the website?
Does it cost more to include a video clip and how do you send it in?
Will there be something in the paper to show that that child is also featured on the web?
How strict are the newspaper deadlines?
What is a superuser?
What happens after I have made a referral?
What do I do when I receive an enquiry?
Why can’t I delete a social worker?
Can I put a child ‘on hold’ so I don’t get any more direct enquiries?
How long will it take for my web referral to be live on the site?
How does the matching function work?

How do I use this service?

If you're interested in using the Be My Parent website and placing a child's profile on the website then please contact the BMP team for further information.

How do I know the Be My Parent website is safe and secure?

For information on privacy and security please see our privacy and security statement and privacy policy.

How secure are the children's video clips?

The video clips of children included in Be My Parent profiles are secure. They are not cached, i.e. they are not stored or saved anywhere automatically when viewed. In addition, it's not possible to, for instance, right click on the video clip to save it. The video is also downloaded gradually whilst it is being played, which makes copying or editing it impossible without sophisticated software.

What information should be included in the profile?

It’s always good to start off with the child’s personality – whether they are quiet, thoughtful, active, lively, etc. This helps show each child’s individuality and bring them to life. It’s also a good idea to mention the child’s interests, hobbies, activities, and talents. With young babies or disabled children, mention how they communicate and respond to carers, favourite toys, music or noises. Do not include a physical description of the child unless there are special reasons to do so.

More information on writing profiles

Is there a word limit on children’s profiles on the website?

The advantage of web profiles is that there is no space limitation, which gives you the opportunity to say a lot more about a child. However, quality is usually better than quantity! Providing information in all the above categories should give a fairly complete picture of the child.

Remember that you have the opportunity to provide quotes from the child, their foster carers, teachers or social worker, which will make the profile lively and stand out. We would recommend a maximum word count of 500 words for an individual child, and 900 words for a sibling group.

Don’t forget that if you are opting to feature children in the open area of the website, you will need to provide us with a short profile which will appear with the child’s photograph in that area. This should be no longer than 50 words.

Is there a word limit on children's profiles in the newspaper?

In the newspaper individual children can be featured as either a standard profile (one space with 175 words) or an enhanced profile (two spaces with 350 words). There is now also the opportunity to feature children in a half or full-page space.

More information on word limits for half and full page profiles (155 KB)

Why are there three different areas of children’s profiles?

Children’s profiles can be featured in one of three areas:

• Open area – all visitors to the website can see a photo and short profile of the child. They are then encouraged to subscribe to view the full profile, see a video clip if there is one, and possibly make an enquiry.
• Subscribers’ area – only subscribed families can view full children’s profiles and enquire. Enquirers provide details about themselves, which are passed onto referring social workers. We check their credit card details against the address they provide, and also that their card is registered in the UK.
• CRB area – only subscribers who have had a successful CRB or police check, carried out by their adoption or fostering agency, can view the children’s profiles in that area and make enquiries. Be My Parent verifies all police checks with the relevant agency.

We can only advise you on which area to feature a child in: the final decision is yours. If a child has been waiting a long time, it may be best to give them maximum exposure in the open area. If there are any legal factors or issues with birth parents, you may want to consider the CRB area.

You can always change the area the child is featured in at any stage if their profile has not generated a great deal of enquiries. For further information please contact us.

How much freedom do agencies have over what goes onto the website?

Social workers are encouraged to be creative in writing children’s profiles. You are also able to upload more photographs and other images such as drawings. Be My Parent will continue to edit and approve children’s profiles to ensure best social work practice and house style are adhered to.

Does it cost more to include a video clip and how do you send it in?

There is no extra cost for using a video clip on the Be My Parent website. However, all video clips must comply with our guidelines. For a single child, the preferred length for a video clip is 3-5 minutes. Sibling groups may be up to 7 minutes.

Initially agencies will need to send video clips to Be My Parent through the post in DVD or CD-ROM format. Once your agency is set up on the secure login area of the website, it will be possible to upload video clips directly, provided they are less than 20Mb.

• File formats accepted: QuickTime, WMV or MPEG file
• File size: Maximum 20Mb
• Output dimensions: Approx 320x256 pixels

If the video clip does not meet the Be My Parent standards of privacy and security of the child, or of image quality, we may ask you to edit or replace it, or we may decide not to use it if you are unable to provide a suitable alternative.

See Me Films can be commissioned to make a film, or they can edit any exsiting film footage you have, and ensure it meets our criteria.

Will there be something in the paper to show that that child is also featured on the web?

Yes. There will an icon in the newspaper next to the relevant children to indicate that they are also featured on the website. Remember there is likely to be more information, additional pictures and perhaps a video clip of the child, on the web.

How strict are the newspaper deadlines?

Because of the high volume of referrals received, it is our policy to adhere to the referral deadlines detailed in the referral booklet. In certain circumstances, however, we can be flexible and accept late referrals, but this is always at the discretion of Be My Parent. Near the deadline, send your referral by special delivery or by fax to arrive by midnight.

Repeat profiles with no changes received after the deadline may be included at proof stage. We will let you know if this has happened.

What is a superuser?

Every agency needs to be set up on the Be My Parent system. Each agency also needs a 'superuser' who will have access to the agency’s Be My Parent account, and can provide general administration, such as adding social workers, changing passwords etc.

We advise that the superuser from your agency is somebody who is office-based, preferably full-time, and has broadband Internet and email access. The superuser can add all the social workers from your agency and set you up with office email addresses and passwords, so you can then log in at www.bemyparent.org.uk.

We can set up a superuser on the phone - it's very easy and won't take long. Your superuser can be either a team manager or administrator, or someone else of your choice. Please contact us if your agency is not yet set up.

What happens after I have made a referral?

After you have referred a child or sibling group to Be My Parent, the profile goes to the editorial team and then the child placement consultant, as usual. Once the Be My Parent team has completed the editing process, the status of the child or sibling group will change to ‘Awaiting social worker approval’. You will be sent an email alerting you that the profile has been edited and is now awaiting your approval (this will also be copied to your agency’s superuser).

At this point, you will need to review the profile by clicking ‘read more’ from the Child Profile or Sibling Group page. If you are in agreement with Be My Parent changes, click ‘Approve’ in the child’s summary box and enter any comments. If not, please call the editorial team on 020 7421 2664/63/58 to discuss further.

Please note that if we do not hear back from you within 10 working days (for online profiles) or 3 working days (for newspaper profiles) after you have received our email, we will assume that you are happy with the profile as it is and publish it on the website or in the paper.

Once you have approved the profile and there are no outstanding queries, it can be published on the website straightaway, or go to the printers for that month’s issue of the paper. You may start receiving enquiries from families straight away, so make sure you are set up on the system and able to view enquiries. Please contact us if you are not yet set up.

What do I do when I receive an enquiry?

Although you can respond to the family directly through the contact details supplied in the email you received, it is recommended that you are set up to use the online system. Here you can get a lot more information about the families enquiring, such as their ethnicity, location and a supporting statement.

Why can’t I delete a social worker?

All children’s profiles have to be attached to a referring social worker. Therefore, if a social worker has a child profile attached to their name in the system, it will not be possible to delete that social worker until you have transferred or ‘reassigned’ the child profile to another social worker. To do this go to Social worker profiles followed by View details and then Reassign.

Can I put a child ‘on hold’ so I don’t get any more direct enquiries?

If you have received a large number of enquiries for a child and you need time to sift through them, you can ask not to receive any more direct enquiries from families. We will gather any enquiries that do come in, and pass these over to you. Please contact us on 020 7421 2666/5/4.

How long will it take for my web referral to be live on the site?

For web referrals, from time the complete referral is received through our online system, it could be live on the website in as little as one working week, providing there are no issues with the referral (for instance regarding consent).

For 'web and newspaper' referrals we aim to have the web referral live approximately three weeks before the newspaper is published.

How does the matching function work?

The matching function uses the family's ethnicity and religion to match them with children they are best suited for. For example, a 5/5 match means that the child and the family share the same ethnicity and religion. This should help you identify the most suitable enquiries. We are currently working to refine the matching process to make it more accurate. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Last updated: 11 January 08

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