Adoption Home Study Services: What You Need to Know

A home study for adoption is mandatory if you live in the U.S. and want to adopt. Home studies ensure that children will be in loving, safe, secure environments.

Table of Contents

• Adoption Home Visit
• How To Prepare For An Adoption Home Study
• Adoption Home Study Training
• After the Home Study is Complete
• Adoption Home Study Updates
• Adoption Post-Placement Report
• Lifetime Adoption’s Florida Home Studies for Adoption

The home study is a living document by a licensed social worker. The report will give a picture of your life right now. It also confirms you can care for and parent a child. Home studies include background checks, employment and financial verification, a home visit, and a medical report.

The social worker will also research your relationships, adoption motivation, parenting style, and more. Additionally, the social worker is responsible for recommending that a child can be safely placed in your home, and that is a responsibility they take very seriously as they should. Your report will determine your recommendation as a safe adoptive home.

Adoption Home Visit

The home study should not make you feel nervous. This is a meeting scheduled in advance. The goal is to ensure your home is safe and spacious enough for a child or children. Make sure that detectors are working, that you have a first aid kit, and that you take other child-proofing measures.

The social worker will interview you and anyone else that lives in your home. This is a great time to interact with your home study provider. You will receive guidance and support and have an opportunity to ask any questions that may be on your mind. This home study should not be painful, it should be informative and helpful.

How To Prepare For An Adoption Home Study

The next logical question seems to be: How do we prepare for an adoption home study? Our blog article titled: What You Need to Know About the Adoption Home Study: A Supportive Guide for Prospective Parents gives you a checklist to follow that includes: documents you’ll need to gather, other forms you will fill out and who will be interviewed. By reviewing a family’s home study, a social worker, attorney, or adoption agency will be able to learn more about you and the type of home and family a child will be raised in. The completed adoption home study report will include information about a series of visits he or she makes to your home. These visits mainly serve to ensure that your home meets state licensing standards for safety. The number and frequency of visits will largely depend on the agency or laws of your particular state.

During the visits, the social worker will conduct interviews with the prospective adoptive parents and anyone else who lives in the home. Remember, they are not “white glove tests” but rather a chance to get to know about you, your home and your family.

You may hear the phrase “home study ready.” This means that you have completed an adoption home study and the written report is current and available. It also means that you are now ready for an adoption match or placement (depending on the type of adoption process you’re engaged in).

In domestic adoptions, many birth mothers in open adoption are seeking parents that are home study ready. It is a great relief to them to know that the family she is considering has already been investigated and will provide a safe, ready and willing home in which to welcome, love, and cherish her child.

Adoption Home Study Training

Every state has its own laws and requirements regarding home studies. For example, Florida requires 21 hours of training on adoption topics. Lifetime Adoption offers webinars approved by the Florida Department of Children and Families (available to all adoptive parents). We also offer one-on-one training and webinars for specific special situations.

After the Home Study is Complete

With the adoption home study complete, the adoption process can move forward. For some, the adoption process goes quickly, for others, it may still take a year or longer to match with a birth mother and complete. It depends on a number of factors, including your specific adoption process and plan, plus paperwork, and court calendars.

Keep in mind: You must have an approved adoption home study in most states to be able to bring a child into your home or to take custody of a child. Many adoption organizations allow you to start your search with them for a match while the home study for adoption is underway.

There are expiration dates on home studies, and almost every home study can be easily updated for a second adoption or when a family has moved. Additionally, if you are adopting in a nationwide adoption program such as Lifetime, it is important to update your background checks and child abuse clearances annually. Ask your home study provider how long the adoption home study is valid and what the cost and process is to get an update. Usually, the process is quite simple.

Adoption Home Study Updates

You will need an annual adoption home study renewal each year until you adopt. You’ll also need to update your home study if you move, get a new job, or have another significant life change. Communication is key, so maintain contact with your adoption coordinator and social worker. Once complete, a home study is valid with any attorney or agency in the US for domestic adoption.

Adoption Post-Placement Report

If your state requires it, a social worker will visit you within one week of placement. This will continue monthly or quarterly until the adoption is final. The post-placement visits are to check in on the child’s development and make sure that everyone is doing well.

This is an excellent time to ask the social worker any questions you might have and request resources. The home study provider will then provide a written recommendation to the adoption attorney. This will be sent to the court for review, and then they will finalize the adoption.

If you have any questions or would like to receive more information, please call or complete the form below. You can also review our adoption home study checklist to review the steps and which documents you’ll need to get ready. We look forward to serving you!

Lifetime Adoption’s Florida Home Studies for Adoption

Lifetime Adoption has a Florida state license for completing adoption home studies in all Florida counties. To learn more about the home study process or to schedule a Florida adoption home study, please call us. You can also download more information on our Florida adoption home study services here. In other states, we will provide you with trusted referrals to complete your home study and provide post-placement services.