PREPARING FOR THE HOME STUDY

HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE HOME STUDY: THE PROCESS

What is a home Study

04.14.2021

Home study process

On paper, the home study process might seem confusing and people are often left with unanswered questions. There are different state requirements, stressful interviews and a long list of tasks you must complete before a case worker will even consider placing a child with you.

So how do we begin to understand something with so many different parts?

The process itself has changed dramatically over the past few years, and it is constantly adapting to new laws and regulations. But if we break it down into much smaller steps, we can start to visualize how case workers use each of these segments when conducting a home study.

In the second part of our Preparing for the Home Study series, we’ll take a look at the individual stages in the home study process and discuss exactly what they require so you can prepare ahead of time.

EVERY HOME STUDY PROCESS IS THE SAME, RIGHT?

Not exactly. In fact, almost every single home study is going to differ in one way or another. Each state has it’s own laws regulating adoption, case workers, and home study providers, so the process can be quite different depending on where you live and where you’re adopting from. In order to visualize the differences we’ve created an infographic of the entire home study process:

What is a home Study

STEP 1: ORIENTATION

While home studies can and will change from case to case, nearly all of them begin with some form of orientation. This can include anything from an in-person introduction to basic informational handouts. The primary purpose is to get you familiar with the home study provider/agency you’ll be working with and how their specific home study process works.

STEP 2: TRAINING

Once you meet the agency/provider, you’re ready to start training. Many states will require some form of guidance to prepare the prospective parents for the needs of the child, and the requirements of the agency. This is where families will develop an understanding of what child would work best for them, and what is needed to parent that child effectively.

STEP 3: INTERVIEWS

Now that you have covered the essentials to being a great parent, it’s time to begin the interview process. Social workers will conduct several interviews during the home study process, but the exact number will vary. Remember that they are developing a relationship with you in order to understand if your family and home are suitable for a child. Be prepared to answer in-depth questions regarding your childhood, relationship with your parents and other factors that may affect how you raise a child. We’ve created a list of the most common home study questions and offered advice on answering them in part three of this series.

STEP 4: HOME VISIT

An in-depth inspection of your home will be conducted to ensure it meets all of the health and safety checks required by the state before placing a child there. Individual requirements will differ based on your location and the age of the child being adopted. Some agencies may even require an additional inspection by local health/fire departments, so check with your social worker for a complete list of things to inspect.

STEP 5: GATHER DOCUMENTS

You will need to provide a collection of personal documents that include everything from health statements to financial records. Most social workers will collect these during the home visit, but some may ask for them as early as the first interview. It’s important to know which documents will be required ahead of time, as some things like health statements and W-2 records may take a few days to receive.

STEP 6: BACKGROUND CHECK

Every state will require you to pass criminal and child abuse checks to be eligible to adopt a child. It’s not uncommon for home study providers to include additional checks against local and federal law enforcement databases. If you’ve been charged with a misdemeanor crime in the past, it’s always better to inform your social worker prior to them running the background check. This gives you the chance to explain the charge and shows them that you had no intention of hiding it.

STEP 7: FINAL REPORT

The final report is a written summary of all the information the social worker has gathered from each of the previous steps. Aside from being kept as a record for your home study provider, this report is how other agencies with children waiting to be adopted will be introduced to you. Depending on the type of adoption, some social workers may share this report with prospective birth mothers, so we recommend asking about the confidentiality of your report if this is a concern to you.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Once you have familiarized yourself with the process and have an idea of what to expect, it’s time to start preparing for the interview. In the third installment of our series we focus on the most common questions asked during the home study interview and what a social worker is looking for in your answers. Click the button to continue to the next step or browse the other parts of our series below.

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