What information does a social worker collect during a home study?
As part of a home study, a social worker will collect a number of pieces of information and other documents. They'll want autobiographical information from you, but that doesn't mean you have to write a forty-page history of your life. Just major events, so they can get to know you better. They'll want to know about your marriage, if, in fact, you're married. They may want to know a little bit about work, your parents, and your family history. There's also specific information that a social worker wants as part of a home study, and that includes information about your finances, to make sure that you're financially able to take care of a child, references - and those should be from people you've known for a while, if possible, your friends and acquaintances. And the social worker would just be asking them, "Would this person make a good parent? Are they ready to bring a child into their home?" A social worker in a home study is also going to want to find out a little bit more about why you want to adopt a child. Is it because of infertility issues? Are there other issues? Do you want to expand your family? There's no right or wrong answer. They're just trying to find out why you are heading on this journey. The social worker is also interested in making sure that you're healthy. You don't have to be an Olympic athlete, but they want to make sure you're healthy enough to bring a child into your home. The social worker's going to ask questions about what type of child you might be interested in adopting. Are you interested in adopting an infant? Are you comfortable with an eight-year-old? Are you comfortable with siblings, which would be an immediate expansion of your family? So they're just really trying to figure out who and where you are as a person. They're helping to make sure that you're ready to begin the journey of adoption.
