The Diakon Adoption and Foster Care Forum seeks to maintain a friendly, hospitable environment for parents to share stories, experiences and questions, in addition to other support. In order to better serve our members, the forum asks that users adhere to the following Code of Conduct. Any and all postings that violate this code or the Terms of Use will be removed and may result in termination of forum access.

• The Diakon Adoption and Foster Care Forum is open to families, friends and employees of Diakon who participate in the adoption or foster care programs of Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries. You must register to post. Anonymous and pseudonymous postings are strictly prohibited.
• Do not use profane or obscene language, refer to illegal acts or use copyrighted material in postings.
• Do not use the forum, including the “Swap Shop,” for the promotion of businesses or for the facilitation of private adoptions.
• Do not post irrelevant or unrelated messages within topic areas or threads.
• The views expressed in this forum are not necessarily the views of Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries or endorsed by Diakon, and therefore Diakon does not guarantee the accuracy, safety or completeness of information posted by users.
• All who use the forum do so at his or her own risk, as Diakon is not responsible for any damages or harmful effects otherwise incurred from use of the forum.

The following terms and rules govern use of the Diakon Adoption & Foster Care Forum. You must agree to these conditions if you wish to continue with your registration.

The Diakon Adoption & Foster Care Forum is designed for the use of Diakon Adoption & Foster Care participants, family, close friends of participants, prospective adoptive and foster parents, and Diakon staff members. Anyone with a profile is welcome to browse the forum and read the posts. Diakon cannot and does not guarantee the accuracy, effectiveness, validity, or safety of any post or its contents, and is not responsible for the contents or effects of any posts. Furthermore, you agree to post only material to which you have rights, and by posting material you affirm you have the proprietary rights to dispense such information. Any and all postings in the forum, excluding content with third-party intellectual and propriety rights, will become the sole property of Diakon and can be used or recreated without notice or any further consent for any purpose.

The messages that appear in this forum express the views of each writer, and not necessarily the views of Diakon or our forum community as a whole. Any user who feels that a posted message is objectionable is encouraged to report the post via the “Contact Us” feature. Diakon reserves the right to remove offensive, objectionable, or inappropriate messages if it is determined that censorship is necessary. Diakon reserves the right to remove any content from the forum at any time with or without notice.

While intended for the private use of Diakon Adoption & Foster Care participants, and family and close friends of participants, it is important to note that all information contained within postings could be accessible to the public. By agreeing to these terms of use, you agree that it is the responsibility of the user to discern what personal information you choose to make public via the Internet, as any consequences are the responsibility of the posting party, regardless of age. The subject matter contained in this forum may not be appropriate for children without adult supervision. Diakon cannot guarantee the safety, privacy, or security of anyone who uses the forum, regardless of age or if they elect to disclose identifying information. Diakon is not responsible in the instance such information is made public outside of the forum, as these are risks assumed solely by each user who agrees to these terms of use.

You agree not to use this message board to post any inappropriate language, which includes but is not limited to profanity, hate speech (including religious, ethnic, or racial slurs), reference to illegal drugs or activities, sexually explicit language or any language that hints at, abbreviates, or insinuates profanity, sexually explicit or illegal activity. Self-censorship, including using alternative characters to insinuate or replace such language, is also prohibited.

You also agree to refrain from communications that insult others including but not limited to direct insults or orders, insulting family members, name-calling or insinuations of insults. In addition, you agree to refrain from provoking others by posting material solely to annoy, provoke, threaten, or invade the privacy of another user. Diakon has the right to revoke, without notice, the membership of any and all parties who participate in such activities. A termination of membership does not necessarily constitute the removal of that member’s posts or submissions. Diakon has the sole right to remove or retain content of former and current members of the forum.

Diakon supports dialogue between the user and the Diakon administrators and other forum users, including objections, concerns, and criticisms. However, we reserve the right to remove posts that violate our broad terms of acceptability, including but not limited to these terms of use. The forum administrators will be the final authority of the offensiveness or inappropriateness of any post.

You agree that any loss or damages incurred through participation in the “Swap Shop” or any other area of the site is solely the responsibility of the user, and that Diakon is not responsible for involvement in disputes. Diakon is not responsible for third parties, vendors, or other users’ actions or damages or losses incurred by such actions. All interactions, including but not limited to meetings, payment arrangements, and exchange of goods or services, are the sole responsibility of the participating parties and not of Diakon.

The Diakon Adoption & Foster Care Forum should not be used as a vehicle to assist in private adoptions and members are strictly prohibited from contacting parties that use the forum for the purpose of soliciting, initiating, or participating in such activities. Such behavior will result in termination of forum membership at the discretion of forum administrators.