Adoption Ring Reunion Registry PolicyJune 4, 1998Greetings, We have been reviewing our policy regarding admission of sites featuring reunion registries, and we are now announcing our new policy. The Adoption Ring will not accept new web sites featuring reunion registries unless they conform to certain standards of ethical service as explained below. In addition, we are asking all our current members to ensure the operation of their registries is in conformance with these standards by becoming certified, as a condition of continued membership in the Adoption Ring. The topic of online reunion registries has recently become controversial due to certain practices of some registry owners, such as selling database information previously promised to be confidential. In addition, some sites claim to provide free search services or to provide a free registry, but they are actually being used to solicit clients for professional searchers. This is too easily a setup for exploitation. Please note that this is a general statement about the need for ethical standards, it has nothing to do with your registry in particular. The Coalition for Adoption Registry Ethics (C.A.R.E.) is a group of registry administrators who are committed to providing ethical and high-quality service to the online searching community in a highly visible, well-linked coalition. It is free to join, all they ask is that you abide by the guidelines set out on their website at http://www.plumsite.com/care/. CARE was established by the administrators of two of the oldest and largest adoption-related webrings: The Adoption Ring which currently includes select special interest websites, and The Ring for Adoption Databases (TRIAD). The CARE Board is made up of adoptees, birthparents and adoptive parents all of whom have demonstrated long-term dedication to providing quality and ethical services and education to triad members. To learn more about CARE, its mission, board, benefits, guidelines and how to join, please visit the CARE homepage at http://www.plumsite.com/care/. Membership in CARE will give your registry the clout of an accredited online registry, eligibility for membership in the CARE webring as well as the highly linked Adoption Ring, and mutual links with many of the most highly linked adoption sites on the Internet including Voices of Adoption, the Volunteer Search Network, An Adoptee's Right to Know, Bastard Nation and others. Upon acceptance into the CARE family, you will also be able to proudly display a small version of the CARE logo on your site. We hope you will consider joining CARE and making a public commitment to the quality and ethical standards online searchers need and deserve. Sincerely, Kevin McCarty Damsel Plum Back to the Adoption Ring Homepage. |
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