Adoption Home Study Tips | The “Do’s & Don’ts”

The adoption process can be stressful! The home studies for adoption seem to be the most daunting part. Especially for those new to the process. However, with these adoption home study tips, you can prepare for productive, stress-free, successful meetings!

If you are just starting to consider adoption and are unsure as to what the process looks like, please check out my article, An Adoption Story | The Process. This article will outline what to expect when starting the adoption process.

If you have already started the adoption process by finding an agency then you are probably about to embark on the home study process. This can be a stressful time if you don’t know what to expect. Having someone in your house analyzing your entire life isn’t a cake walk! I remember how stressed out I was before our home study social worker came over for the first time! However, it is possible to make this process less stressful!

In this article, I will first answer all of the questions that most people have before starting the home study process. Knowledge is power. Once you understand the process, the unknown element is removed. Hence, this process becomes less stressful. Next, I will lay out the “do’s and don’ts” for the adoption home study process. This can be a quick tool for you to keep in mind before starting the home study series.

Adoption home study tips | The most commonly asked questions answered:

Q. How do I prepare for an adoption home study?

A. Preparation for a home study includes gathering all relevant documentation:

• Driver’s license(s)
• Birth certificate(s) of everyone who lives in your home
• Social security card(s)
• Marriage certificate(s) if applicable
• Divorce decree(s) if applicable
• Military discharge(s) if applicable
• Past adoption decree(s) if applicable
• Green card(s) if applicable
• Financial information
  • Latest income tax return and tax returns for the last 2-3 years
  • Verification of employment (most recent pay stub, letter from your employer, or a statement stating that you are not working)
  • Proof of insurance: (home, health, life, auto)
• Physician statement(s) of health status for applicants and everyone living in the home
• Immunization records
• Passport(s) if adopting internationally
• Pet vaccination records if applicable

Place all of your paperwork from the above list in order in a file folder/portfolio. Also, preparing answers for questions on why you want to adopt and what your parenting style will be can be very helpful during the questioning portion of the home study process.

Q. What questions are asked in a home study for adoption?

A. The social worker for your adoption will ask you several questions, typically at your second home study meeting. These questions will be about:

• your health
• your job status
• your financial situation
• your hobbies
• your marriage
• your criminal record if applicable
• why you want to adopt
• your understanding of the adoption process
• any challenges you may face bringing a child into your home
• what your parenting style may be
• where the child will go to school
• where the child will sleep
• who will care for the child when it’s not you or your partner
• your childhood
• your relationship with your parents
• your upbringing
• what your life it like today
• what your community is like (religion, friends, neighbors, etc…)

Q. What do adoption home studies look for?

A. In general, your adoption social worker will be looking for a a safe and happy home to place a child in.

For the safety audit your home study social worker will be looking for:

• First-aid kit
• Working carbon monoxide detector
• Working smoke detectors on every floor and near or in the child’s bedroom
• Medications, vitamins, cleaning products, other toxic substances out of children’s reach
• Screen covering a fireplace or wood stove
• Covered kitchen trash
• Fire extinguisher near the cooking area of the home
• Covered outlets
• Gates for stairs
• Windows have secure screens and locks
• Household heating equipment has appropriate safeguards
• Fencing around swimming pool or pools of water
• Hot tub has a locked top
• Emergency telephone numbers visible
• Evacuation floor plans available
• Firearms in locked container with ammunition stored in a separate locked container

Q. How long does adoption home study take?

A. The entire process (which includes a minimum of 3 home meetings) takes an average of 3-6 months. This can vary due to scheduling conflicts, social worker case load, and adoptive families’ completion of required paper work/ classes.

The actual meet itself will take between 15 minutes – multiple hours. The longest home study meeting is the second one. If you are prepared and organized the length of this meeting will be reduced significantly. For example, our 2nd home study meeting only lasted 45 minutes.

Q. What happens during an adoption home study?

A. There will be a minimum of THREE home study meetings.

1st Home Study Meeting:

This will be a very brief meeting in which your social worker just wants to meet you and see where you live. (S)He will give you a checklist of things to get done during this meeting that must be completed before the home studies can be finalized and approved. This checklist looks like this (Please note that this list is for adoption from birth through a private agency. Other types of adoption/foster to adopt may look similar but have differences as well):

1. Get fingerprinted for a background check.
2. Have the fire department do a fire inspection of your house.
3. Gather your utility bills for the last 3 months, your pay stubs for the past two and last year’s tax returns.
4. Have your family doctor fill out health status and recommendation forms.
5. Have four non family members complete recommendation letters.
6. Read any/all books assigned by the agency
7. Make a 20 page adoption profile book about yourself(ves) and your life that will be given to birth mothers.
8. Fill out a 5 page ‘will consider/won’t consider’ form as to race, number of children, physical traits, behavioral traits, etc.
9. Take any classes that are legally mandated by your state, which may include inter racial adoption awareness, child safety, infant CPR, and infant/child care.
10. Have a safety inspection done on your house.
11. Draw a floor plan of your house with escape routes, have a list of emergency numbers posted, have a schedule for family fire drills at least once a month, and buy a fire extinguisher.
12. Have a copy of your pets’ licenses and updated shots and vet records if applicable.
13. Show proof of residency for the past five years.

2nd Home Study Meeting:

This will be the longest of the home studies. This will be the meeting in which your home study social worker will:

1. Go through the checklist and see how far along you are.
2. Ask you a series of questions (see above for question topics).
3. Do a safety audit on your home (see above for the safety audit checklist).
4. Review your adoption profile book before printing.

3rd (final) Home Study Meeting:

1. Confirm completion of the checklist.
2. Answer any other questions that you may have.
3. Look through the adoption profile book that you have had printed.
4. Inform you as to what will happen from here.
5. Your social worker will take all of your paperwork and adoption profile books with them.
6. Your home study will be completed.

Related Post: How to Make an Adoption Profile Book

Q. Can you fail a home study?

A. Yes.

Q. How do you fail a home study?

A. The most common ways to fail a home study are:

1. If anyone in the home has a felony conviction.
2. If there are any major, life-threatening, health conditions among the HAPs (hopeful adoptive parents).
3. If there are issues with other adults/family members living in the home.
4. If there is financial issues.
5. If the home is unstable or unsafe.
6. Being dishonest.

Adoption home study tips | The DO’S and DON’TS:

DON’T:

• Over prepare: Having a sanitary/safe house is what the social worker is looking for. You do not need to: do a deep clean, have food/drinks prepared, or dress up.
• Talk too much: Yes, your social worker wants to get to know you but they also want you to learn. Make sure that you are listening as much if not more than you talk.
• Have a nursery prepared: Have a room that is intended for the child but you do not need to have it converted to a nursery/bedroom for the child at this stage.

DO:

• Schedule any required classes as soon as you get the list as they fill up quickly.
• Purchase a carbon monoxide detector and fire extinguisher as soon as possible.
• Make an appointment to be fingerprinted as soon as possible.
• Schedule physicals if needed/ drop off paperwork to your primary care doctor.
• Schedule fire inspection through your local fire department.
• Gather/print all financial/licensure/tax documentation.
• Think of and ask 4 people (non-relatives) to write letters of recommendation for you.
• Start working on your adoption profile book as soon as possible. (We did all of our through Snapfish. The quality is exceptional and they always have deals going on to make it more affordable. Each time we purchased 10 hardback books and kept one for ourselves. You can purchase paper back as well to save more money.)
• Order adoption profile book after second home study meeting.
• Go through your home as if you were doing the safety audit. Look at the checklist above and make sure every box is checked.
• Talk through answers to possible questions with your partner.
• Have a room in mind that will be converted to the child’s bedroom/nursery upon approval.
• BE PREPARED! Have a file folder/system to keep all of your paperwork in order! Start at the beginning of the checklist and place each document in the order or the list. This will save so much time during your second home study. You do NOT want to be running around your home searching for paperwork or shuffling through a bunch of papers while your adoption social worker is at your home.
• BE YOUSELF!
• BE HONEST!

Best of luck to you throughout the adoption process! I hope this list of adoption home study tips helps to ease your mind and your stress level!