Choosing to build your family through adoption is a momentous decision. It can also be a bit overwhelming. You will be voluntarily opening up yourself and your family to assessment by your adoption agency and social worker during your home study. While that may seem a bit daunting, it is important to remember that home studies are hugely beneficial to prospective adoptive parents.
What is a Home Study?
The home study is one of the most important steps of the adoption process. The ultimate goal of a home study is to ensure that each child is placed in a suitable home and that we make good matches between children and parents.
Home studies are a requirement for all adoptions that take place in the United States. Additionally, those who wish to foster children must also complete a home study.
Knowing what to expect during your home study can help it to go smoothly. It is crucial to make sure that children are in safe homes with families that will love, care for, and nurture them.
Ensuring that a home study conducts properly can take significant time.
The entire home study may conduct in 2-3 months. However, times will vary according to state and agency requirements.
You Can Prepare for a Home Study
Homes studies are fairly routine. You can expect a background check for everyone residing in the home over the age of 18. This includes criminal histories, child abuse clearance, and sex offender checks. Everyone in the home is interviewed. Additionally, we inspect your home for safety, etc.
You won’t know exactly what you will be asked, but making sure that you have spoken to every member of your family about what to expect during the home study can make the entire process much less challenging.
Preparing all of the documents, paperwork, and other things that your agency requires can make the home study process go smoothly.
Improve the Safety of Your Home
One of the main goals of a home study is to ensure the safety of the home and its habitability. Your home must be virtually free of all dangers to children.
For example, your social worker may look for child-proof locks, child-proof outlets, and stairway gates. The safety of the child is imperative and is one of the concerns of the social worker. Preparing for your home study may help to improve the safety of your home.
Involve Your Children in Your Home Study
Every member of your family will be involved in the home study. Older children may be asked questions regarding their feelings about getting a new sibling.
Giving your children a chance to speak for themselves and let their opinions be heard will make them feel like they are a part of the process.
Adoption Home Study
A home study is one of the most important steps of the adoption process for a reason. While it can seem overwhelming, prospective parents have the duty of honest disclosure throughout the home study process. This includes an on-going duty of reporting new events or information that may require an updated or amended home study.
Adoption Choices of Colorado is an excellent resource when it comes to preparing for and acing your home study. The staff includes professionals and specialists in adoption who strive to make sure that your adoption goes as smoothly as possible.
Adoption Choices of Colorado
For more information on adoption or if you are currently in the process of adopting a baby and have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact, Adoption Choices of Colorado. We can be reached via our website or our phones: 303-670-4401.
Make an Impact
Adoption Choices, Inc. is partnering with Crowdrise, a fundraising website for nonprofits, to help our adoptive parents and birth parents with much needed financial assistance. We understand that expenses keep clients from fulfilling their dreams. Both with birth parents making a plan for adoption, and with adoptive parents growing their family. It is our mission to provide financial assistance through grants and scholarships, awarded annually in November, in honor of National Adoption Month. Funds assist adoptive parents with matching and placements, adoption finalization and helping birth mothers improve their lives through higher education — and much more.
However, we can’t do it alone. Please read up on our programs and donate money where you are able. Your donation will make a huge impact.
About the Author
Davina grew up in the outskirts of New York City, before eventually moving to Buffalo, New York at the age of 10. Her passion for adoption comes from her own experiences of being in foster care and being an adoptee herself. She hopes to help others to understand the intricacies of adoption and encourage them to consider it as an option.
Davina is a proud Geneseo Knights alum having graduated in 2018. She has been writing for as long as she can remember and chose to pursue a degree in English with hopes of making her hobby a career. Thus far, she has enjoyed her time as an intern for Adoption Choices Inc. and looks forward to a bright future in writing. When she is not writing, she enjoys spending time with her family, building websites, and making lists.
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References:
“The Adoption Home Study Process” Child Information Gateway. https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/f_homstu.pdf