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Q: What is a
home study?
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A: An
adoption home study is a report written by a licensed social worker that is
intended to provide adoption professionals and child welfare officials with
verified and detailed information about your family.
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| Q:
When is a home study required? |
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A: A
home study is required with most types of adoptions. It is always necessary with
domestic private adoptions and international adoptions.
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| Q: What can we
expect during the home study process? |
| A: A licensed social
worker from an agency licensed in your state will conduct a series of interviews
with you, your spouse if you are married and any other family members living in
your home. Typically the social worker will interview each spouse separately and
then together as a couple. Also a social worker will visit your home to assess
the safety of your home. |
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| Q: How
much does a home study cost? |
| A: The fees for a home
study vary widely from agency to agency and also vary depending upon where you
live. When looking for a home study agency take note of the fees while making
your comparison. However, cost alone shouldn’t dictate which agency you
ultimately use. It’s just as important to find an agency whose philosophy
matches your own. |
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Q: What is the
social worker looking for during the home visit - immaculate
closets?
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A: The
social workers visit to the home serves two purposes, neither of which is to
inspect your closets. Rather, the home study visit allows the social worker to
ensure that no safety hazards exist that would endanger a child placed in your
home. Also, the home visit allows for the social worker to have a chance to
speak with the family in their own environment so that he or she may better get
to know you as a family.
Please
understand that the social worker is assessing the safety of your future child
and not judging you on your decorating skills!
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| Q: Are
the interviews and home visit all that a home study consists
of? |
| A: No, although they are
extremely important they are not the only component of the home study process.
Your social worker will also include the results of your criminal background
investigations and results of a child welfare record check. The social worker
will also ask to see your birth certificates, marriage certificate and/or
divorce decree, employment verification and reference letters from family and
friends. |
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| Q: The
home study process sounds so invasive. Why is it necessary? |
| A: You certainly aren’t
alone in having the thought that the home study process sounds invasive. However
it actually is an excellent opportunity for you to become better educated about
adoption issues and discuss with your social workers any questions or concerns
you have about the adoption process. Your social worker can be a wealth of
information and a knowledgeable ally as you build your family through
adoption. |
| Perhaps thinking of the
process in this way will help you see what a valuable part the home study plays
in the adoption process. Imagine you were responsible for the welfare of a child
and finding a forever family for them. Wouldn’t you want to meet and get to know
the family? See their home and the environment that the child would be raised
in? Verify all the information that you were given to be sure the child was
placed in a safe, loving home. This is the true purpose of a home study. It’s
not about judging people against a yard stick of perfection but rather
protecting the welfare of a child. |
| As a parent there will be
many times in your child’s life where you consult with a professional - think
about future teacher conferences, doctor and dentist visits - try to think of
the home study as the first of many such consultations you’ll attend as a
parent. |
