In my last post I wrote about post-placement reports. I described what they were, when they are needed and why they are needed, and how important they are. When adoptive parents commit during the adoption process to comply with post-placement requirements it is a serious commitment, one that affects the future of adoptions, and not one to be taken lightly.

So here are some tips on how to get your post-placement reports done, and done on time.

- Once your child is home, or once you know when your child will be home, write on your calendar when your post placement reports are due. For example, if your child comes home in January, and you need a post-placement report at three months and at six months, find April and July on your calendar and write "post-placement report" in big letters at the top. This will help you remember when they are due.

- If your post-placement reports require a social worker visit, call your social worker to schedule an appointment at least a few weeks before the report is due. Social workers often have busy schedules, and if you wait to try and schedule a visit until the report is due, it will likely be late. Although your agency will likely inform your social worker as to when the reports are due, do not count on the social worker to contact you when it is time.

- For annual reports that the family is required to complete, note the month on your calendar each year.

- Since pictures are required to accompany most post-placement reports (and can be the part that parents get hung up on) don't wait until a report is due to get pictures of your child. Keeping in mind what you will need for your reports, snap a few extra photos once in a while that would fit the need. Remember that pictures of kids in costumes, bathing suits, etc. are often not appropriate. Most of the time you will need several pictures clearly showing the child's face without a lot of other "stuff" in the picture, and you will usually need at least one family picture as well.

I take lots of pictures anyway, and when I am looking through them i save ones that would be good for post-placement reports and set them aside, so when the report is due, I have pictures ready to go.

- If you need a "professional portrait" for your report, you can accomplish this at home and save yourself the time and expense of a trip to the studio. First you will need to set up a backdrop. A blanket or sheet that is a neutral color works well. Then you will want to dress your child in something nice, and have them sit on something in front of the backdrop. Pose your child carefully, and then start snapping. Since children are usually much more comfortable at home with mom taking pictures, sometimes these come out even better than they would in a studio. There are many online services or film shops that you can take your shots into to be printed in the sizes that you need. The picture above is one that I took in our kitchen for Belane's last post-placement report.

- For annual reports, save them on your computer. Since you will be using the same format each time, if you save a report, it will be easy to simply update the information for the next report.

- Make it a priority. It is really easy once your child is home to want to just forget about the paperwork and feel that these are not big deal, but remember that you committed to completing them, and that it is important for the future of adoptions that you do so.

More info on post-placement reports:

Parent and Agency Reports to Ethiopia

Post Placement FAQ