» Heart Gallery FAQs

Q: What is the purpose of the Heart Gallery Southeast

A: In the past, adoption was thought to be only for healthy infants. Children with disabilities, those that were older, or those brothers and sisters who wanted to be adopted together were generally invisible to the public. The belief was that these children were "unadoptable." But all of that has changed.

Photolisting books, and more recently, photolisting sites like the Heart Gallery Southeast on the Internet, go a long way toward making these children more visible. This is a tremendous service to the children, as well as to the potential adoptive families. It is a great idea for families to browse photolisting books and websites as often as possible to see photos and read profiles of children who need to be adopted.

Q: What the Heart Gallery Southeast Photo Listing Will Tell You

A: The Heart Gallery  will provide you with a picture of a child in need of adoption, as well as a narrative description; it will tell you the child's age, racial and ethnic background, gender and other basic demographic information. The page will also give you a "thumbnail" description of the child and may include primary areas of strengths and challenges, any special needs the child has and a summary about his or her personality, likes, dislikes, etc. Once you express interest in a child, the child's case worker will provide information about the type of family that would be considered a good "match" for the child and may indicate such things as whether or not the child has siblings or extended family or foster family members with whom they want to stay in touch. The availability of financial support in the form of medical assistance and adoption subsidy may also be included.

Q: What the Heart Gallery Southeast Photo Listing Will Not  Tell You

A: The Heart Gallery Southeast photo listing is a brief sketch of a real child; it is not a "sample" or a composite. Because these are real children, with unique needs, feelings and histories, their privacy and confidentiality must be respected. Last names and home towns will not be mentioned. A photolisting page will not reveal certain kinds of personal information.

Q: How  to Use the Heart Gallery Southeast Photo Listing

A: If one of the children listed appeals to you,  contact a caseworker with one of the state agencies where you live to draft a list of questions to ask the child's caseworker about the child. You will want to ask about the child's background, including child assessment summaries, medical and educational background, social history, and other material that may be available. The child's worker will begin providing these items once your homestudy has been reviewed and it is determined that you, indeed, may be an appropriate "match" for this child. You will want to research how the child's challenges will affect your family. Adoptive parent support groups, adoption conferences and seminars, and adoption books are good places to begin. You will also want to learn if your community provides needed resources and services¿medical, psychological, educational, recreational, etc.

If a child's life is like a book, the Heart Gallery Southeast is merely the brief description on the back cover. Before making a final adoption decision, it is important to read the rest of the book. By doing your homework, an adoption decision has a greater chance of success for all concerned.