Project: Adoption Angels

Categories: Adoption Angels Project | Adoption | Special Assistance

The mission of the Adoption Angels Project is to help adoptees, NPEs, donor children and others with unknown parentage connect to their biological family. They also help connect adoptees to the the global family tree once birth family is found. With our global family tree and our DNA features, WikiTree can be an invaluable asset for assisting those searching for birth families.
(Note: "Adoptees" can also include non-paternal events (NPEs) and other cases of unknown parentage.)

If you have taken a DNA test, Adoption Angels can assist you in finding your birth parents. Contact the WikiTree Adoption Angels to apply for help. Please see our Application Checklist before applying. The more items you complete before applying will ensure your place at the top of our list for the next available Angel who will assist you in finding your birth family.

How to Join: Becoming an Adoption Angel

Requirements for joining:

• Have Family Member level membership and sign the Honor Code.
• Be a member of WikiTree for 3 months.
• Have 100+ WikiTree contributions.
• Before you commit to being an Adoption Angel:
  • Read through our Mission Statement and be sure you understand what Angels do and don't do.
  • Read the project roles to understand what you are signing up for.

Once you join we ask you to:

• Make at least one contribution towards the project's goals every three months.
• Join at least one project team.
• Join the project's Google Discussion Group.
• Have access to information needed to participate in the project.
• Regularly update the project as needed on your activity.
• Respond to the six-monthly check-in and to your team leader/coordinator.
• You can also add Adoption_Angels to the tags you follow to keep up with project posts.

Goals

Adoption Angel goals:

• Help Adoptees to set up their WikiTree profiles.
• Help Adoptees to find information needed for a birth family search such as birth records and non-identifying information.
• Help Adoptees use the information they have to search for birth families.
• Help Adoptees who have found their birth parents to get started on creating their biological trees.
• Help in searches for birth parents for deceased members of the family up to grandparents.
• Integrate DNA test results into the search for family.

Teams

• Adoption Angels: Family Finders
  • Adoption Angel Family Finders use both DNA and traditional Genealogy experience to find biological family. They do the work alongside the adoptee to actively search for family. DNA experience is required.
• Adoption Angels: Mentors
  • Adoption Angel Mentors greet all new applicants, answering questions and helping them make sure they are set up and ready for their search with a Family Finder. They answer questions in g2g.

Mission Statement

We recognize that unknown parentage is emotional and sensitivity is needed in working with applicants to find information and family connections.

The following is our mission statement laying out what our Adoption Angels will and will not do in aiding applicants with their search for their families and roots.

Adoption Angels will:

1. Help Adoptees to set up their WikiTree profiles.
2. Help Adoptees to find information needed for a biological family search such as birth records and non-identifying information.
3. Help Adoptees use the information they have to search for birth families.
4. Help Adoptees who have found their birth parents to get started on creating their biological trees.
5. Help in searches for birth parents for deceased members of the family further back on the tree (up to the grandparent generation).
6. Help integrate DNA test results into the search for family.

Adoption Angels will not:

1. Research for or on behalf of minor children (under the age of 18).
2. Make contact with the biological family of searcher.
3. Pressure any individual to make contact once the birth family is located.
4. Assist someone other than the adoptee without the adoptee contacting the Angel to give consent.
5. Charge for their services.
6. Work on historical adoptions (past grandparents).
7. Search for living family members (children, cousins, aunts/uncles, siblings who have been disconnected from the family).

Further, privacy is a key point of our Honor Code. As such, Adoption Angels will keep all private information 100% confidential.

(Note: "Adoptees" can also include unexpected parentage (NPEs), donor children, and other cases of unknown parentage. Adoptee is often used generically by Adoption Angels.)

Earned Wings

The first time an Angel helps make a connection between an adoptee and birth family through the Adoption Angels project they'll earn this badge:

This page was last modified 15:24, 15 April 2024. This page has been accessed 34,686 times.