Adoption: The Home Study
How do I get approved to adopt a child?
The requirements for adopting a child vary from state to state, but by and large almost every state requires that you go through a home study process. The home study is a process whereby a social worker comes to your home, looks at your basic biographical information and a number of other issues to ascertain that you're ready to bring an adopted child into your home.
What is the purpose of a "home study"?
The purpose of a home study is really to make sure that the adopting parent or parents are comfortable with the process of adoption, to make sure you live in a safe place, to ascertain the parents' commitment, and to actually help you through the adoption process. A home study is no where near as intrusive and invasive as I think a lot of people perceive it to be.
When do I, as an adoptive parent, start the home study process?
The home study process and how you find a social worker depend on the type of adoption. If you are going through a foster care adoption, your home study is conducted by the foster care adoption agency that you're already working with. The home study is most likely going to be conducted by the social worker that you've been working with for your adoption process, and there will be no cost associated with the home study. In a private or independent adoption, you could be working with an agency or you could be working with a facilitator and/or an attorney who will help locate a person to conduct the home study for you. In some instances there is a cost associated with the home study.
How do I select an agency for a home study?
The home study process and how you find a social worker depends on the type of adoption. So if you are going through a foster care adoption, let's say, your home study is conducted by the foster care adoption agency that you're already working with, and it's most likely going to be conducted by the social worker that you've been working with for your adoption process. There will be no cost associated with the home study. In a private or independent adoption, you could be working with an agency or you could be working with a facilitator and/or an attorney who will help locate a person to conduct the home study for you, and in some instances there is a cost associated with the home study.
How do I prepare my home for a home study?
If you're preparing your home for a home study I think the greatest rule is to just make sure it's comfortable. It doesn't need to be obsessively neat or clean. You want to look around and make sure that there are no objects that would be unsafe for a child, such as sharp knives. Common sense really dictates how you'd prepare your home for an adoption home study. You're making it warm and inviting in a way that you would for any friend or guest that would come over. If you have an obstreperous dog, you might want to put that dog outside. By and large, there's nothing that you need to obsess over or do for a home study that you wouldn't do if you were having friends over.
What documents do I need for a home study?
There are a number of documents that you need to provide as part of your adoption home study. They include a birth certificate, a W2 and/or a tax form. Often you will be fingerprinted to confirm that you haven't been convicted of a felony. If it applies, you'll have to provide a marriage certificate and/or a divorce decree, as well as proof of military service or discharge and references from your friends. You usually need about 3 or 4 references from friends and acquaintances as part of your adoption home study.
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.
What are some issues that can come up during the home study process?
Issues that might come up during the home study process include looking at a couple's marriage to make sure that both partners are committed to the adoption and comfortable. A social worker may talk to each part of a couple individually just to make sure that they are both in the same place about bringing a child into their home. Other issues that may arise is if there's a significant history of drug or alcohol abuse, or a significant history of psychological problems. But people should also know that if, say you have a misdemeanor in your past, that's not going to be a problem. If you committed a youthful indiscretion, that's not going to be an issue in the home study process. If you committed a felony, that is an issue in the home study process.
How can I address those issues with my home study caseworker?
It's important to remember that your home study caseworker is really there to help you through the process, not be a hindrance. If issues arise it's important for you to discuss those issues with the social worker. If there's additional documentation that's required for the home study, you should assist the social worker and provide that documentation. Honesty is one of the most important criteria, because any issues that you're concerned about they should be up front so that both of you can deal with them together so you can move through the process better.
Does everyone in my home have to undergo the home study?
Anyone who is living in your home with you has to be a participant in the home study. That could be a relative, other children, step children - anyone who's actually living with you. The purpose of the home study is to make sure there's no one in the home who poses any kind of a danger to the potential adopted child.
How do the home study results affect my adoption plans?
The home study is a crucial part of your adoption plans, as it is the way of certifying that your home is safe for the children and that you are ready and financially able to take care of a child. It can also be an important tool in international adoption and support your qualifications for adopting in another country. The home study is also part of determining how many children you are able to adopt, simply based on how much room you may have to comfortably house and provide shelter for a child.
