C.A.R.E. Endorsement Requirements

Benefits of C.A.R.E. Endorsement

C.A.R.E. Endorsed Registries

Reunion Registry Complaints

International Soundex Reunion Registry

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The Coalition For Adoption Registry Ethics, (C.A.R.E.), was created in response to the need for standardization of policies and procedures of online reunion registries.

We have become increasingly concerned over the practices of some online reunion registries, such as selling information previously  promised to be confidential, and the creation of new online reunion  registries who claim to provide free registry and/or search services,  but are little more than sparsely worded invitations to send email to an unknown person.  Such situations, however well-intentioned, are too easily a setup for exploitation of the online search community.

It is the goal of C.A.R.E. to provide a way for the online searching adoption community to safely and effectively search for birth relatives online without being exploited for profit.

In addition, we are concerned that the proliferation of registries has a negative impact on awareness of and support for the oldest, largest, and most successful free reunion registry in the world, the International Soundex Reunion Registry.

It is also a goal of C.A.R.E. to help educate the online searching adoption community about the effective use of registries, particularly  the ISRR.

C.A.R.E. will achieve these goals by:

* setting and upholding ethical standards for the operation of free online reunion registries
* promoting registries that conform to these standards
* promoting awareness of the International Soundex Reunion Registry.

Online Registries* who operate consistently within these standards will become C.A.R.E. endorsed sites and will be allowed to display the C.A.R.E. seal on their website. They will also be promoted on existing high traffic websites such as Voices of Adoption, Volunteer Search Network, Adoptee's Right To Know, Bastard Nation, and the C.A.R.E. Home Page. In addition, they will be allowed to join the C.A.R.E. webring and the Adoption Webring. If you think your registry qualifies, apply today!

*Membership in CARE is limited to those registries who adhere to the criteria and who are primarily devoted to acting as a registry. Individual homepages that simply post searching data or who maintain a bulletin board and whose primary purpose is not maintaining a registry, do not meet membership standards.


Some Frequently Asked Questions About CARE:

1. Is CARE a webring?

No. CARE is much more than a webring. We are a group of people well known in the online adoption community who have joined together to form a coalition. The goal of this coalition is to provide a safer environment for the online adoption searching community to register in search of their loved ones. The only thing we ask of a registry who has become endorsed by CARE is that they display our logo on their website with a back link to CARE. The webring is merely a tool to bring all the CARE endorsed registries together in a way for a searcher to easily navigate between them. Becoming a part of the webring is optional. A registry can be CARE endorsed and not be a part of the webring at all.

2. Can my registry be part of other webrings and still be CARE endorsed?

Certainly. However we do ask that you exercise good judgement in the webrings you join.

3. Is CARE an online reunion registry? I can't seem to find where I'm supposed to register.

CARE is not a reunion registry, so does not have a database that you can register/search in. We do encourage you to visit CARE endorsed registries to register and/or search.

4. My website is not an online reunion registry, but it has a lot of resources for searching. Can my website be endorsed by CARE?

Sorry, no. CARE only endorses online reunion registries that meet our standards. If you have an original adoption-related website that is not just a list of links, please submit it to the Adoption Ring for consideration.

5. I would like to start an online reunion registry. Can you help me?

Currently there are over 30 reunion registries on the internet. Some serve a specific purpose, such as specializing in states, regions and countries. There are registries who are specific to maternity homes, birthmothers searching, etc. The first question that anyone needs to ask themselves before starting a new online reunion registry is "what would my registry have that would make it unique from the other existing online reunion registries and beneficial to the online adoption search community?"
Also, registries can cost money. Depending on how it's set up, you may have to pay your internet service provider more money for a larger amount of server space as well as a fee for transfer rates. If you are unfamiliar with html and programming, you might have to pay a programmer to build your online or offline database for you. Or, if you choose to post the information or check for matches manually, it could be very time consuming. There may be other operating expenses that may need to come out of pocket, such as purchasing software or applying for tax-exempt status if you want to solicit for donations (which is required if you want your registry to be CARE endorsed).
This sounds rather blunt, but fact is, if you are not willing to make the commitment to the time and money it can cost to run a registry, then you would probably be better off finding another way to help the searching adoption triad members online. Some suggestions would be to put up a website that provides search resources, writing legislators in support of open records and just being there for searching and reunited triad members through email, usenet, or chat.