Inside:

• The Nuts and Bolts of an Adoption Home Study
• Autobiographical Statement
• Health Statements
• Income Statement
• Child Abuse and Criminal Clearances
• References
• Interviews
• If you Already Have Children
• Some Final Notes

Once prospective adoptive parents apply to adopt a child (whether they apply to an agency, an attorney or facilitator, or directly to the court in an independent adoption), the laws of all 50 States and the District of Columbia require that the applicants undergo a "home study." This process involves education and preparation as well as the gathering of information about the prospective parents. Ideally, the home study helps to build a partnership between the adoption social worker and the applicants.

Individuals who seek to adopt may face the entire process with tender egos and mounting anxiety that they will not be "approved." Armed with accurate information, however, prospective parents can face the home study experience with confidence and the excitement that should accompany the prospect of welcoming a child into the family.

The Nuts and Bolts of an Adoption Home Study

There is no set format that adoption agencies use to conduct home studies. They must follow the general regulations of their State, but they have the freedom to develop their own application packet, policies, and procedures within those regulations. Some agencies will have prospective parents attend one or several group orientation sessions or a series of training classes before they complete an application. Others will have their social worker start by meeting with family members individually and then ask that they attend educational meetings later on. Usually agency staff members are glad to answer any questions and to guide applicants through the process.

The home study itself is a written report of the findings of the social worker who has met with the applicants on several occasions, both individually and together, usually at the social worker's office. At least one meeting will occur in the applicant's home. If there are other people living in the home, they also will be interviewed by the social worker.

On average the home study process takes three to six months to complete, but it can take longer through public agencies or less time through non-licensed facilitators. The home study process, the contents of the written home study report, and the time it will take to complete vary from State to State and from agency to agency. In general, the following information is included in the home study:

• Personal and family background-including upbringing, siblings, key events, and what was learned from them
• Significant people in the lives of the applicants
• Marriage and family relationships
• Motivation to adopt
• Expectations for the child
• Feelings about infertility (if this is an issue)
• Parenting and integration of the child into the family
• Family environment
• Physical and health history of the applicants
• Education, employment and finances-including insurance coverage and child care plans if needed
• References and criminal background clearances
• Summary and social worker's recommendation.

The following sections will describe typical information or activities that will be required of families who want to adopt.

 

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