Adoption Homestudy

Our clients become parents. That said, the journey begins with a homestudy, which is legally required for all adoptions. A successful homestudy plays a vital role in helping us work with our referral sources to identify a child that is right for you. Homestudies are guided experiences that enable individuals and couples to question, reflect, and learn in preparation for parenting. We realize that the homestudy involves opening your hearts, minds, and home. A homestudy usually involves five to seven meetings and gives you the opportunity to ask all the questions you may have. Our trained and caring professionals respect your confidential responses as they create an accurate portrait of you as future parents. If handled correctly, it can be an invaluable first step toward parenthood.

What should I expect from a homestudy and how long should it take?

A homestudy generally takes two to three months to complete. This will vary from agency to agency and depends on how quickly you are able to gather your documents, your availability in scheduling appointments with your social worker, and how many other people applied to the agency at the same time you did.

There is no set format that adoption agencies use to complete a homestudy. They are required to meet the regulations of the state in which the agency is licensed. Each agency has its own application, policies and procedures that fit within those guidelines. The number of homestudy visits varies according to agency and state. If you are adopting internationally, the US Dept. of Immigration and Naturalization has it own set of guidelines that the agency must follow.

Most agencies require several interviews during the homestudy process. They are generally held in the agency office and at least one must be held in your home. This is not a "white glove" inspection, rather it's a way to determine if your home is a safe and healthy environment for a child. If you have children already they will be included in the homestudy in some way. In the case of married couples, some agencies conduct all the interviews jointly. INS requires that each partner be interviewed individually during the homestudy process. Some agencies require attendance at group meetings to meet other preadoptive parents and to become familiar with various issues in adoption.

Generally a homestudy requires documentation of the following:

• A statement of good health of the prospective parent/parents and that of any children already in the home.
  
• A child abuse and criminal clearance of the prospective parent/parents and any adult over the age of 18 years. Misdemeanors committed long ago for which there is a good explanation are generally not held against you.
  
• You will be required to verify your income, investments, savings, etc. This is asked to assure that you are financially stable.
  
• You are asked to provide references to address such areas as your experience with children, your motivation to adopt, and the nature of your relationship, if applicable.
  
• In addition you will be asked to write an autobiography. You will ordinarily be given guidelines that will help you with the process. The autobiography helps the social worker get to know more about who you are, your hobbies, interests, level of education, employment history, your family of origin, your marriage, support network, past relationships, attitudes regarding discipline, child rearing attitudes, religious affiliation, your motivation to adopt, attitudes about adoption and a child who may look different than you, what kind of child you feel you can best parent and why, etc. etc. Your social worker will help guide you through the process and will offer you education on these various topics to help you begin to clarify your own feelings and thoughts.