Background Checks for Adoption

How Do I Know My Baby Will Be Safe With The Adoptive Couple?

Finding the perfect adoptive family for your baby is easy with Lifetime Adoption. But you may be wondering, “How do I know the adoptive families would be good parents? How do I know that my baby will be safe with the adoptive couple?”

In order to adopt, every hopeful adoptive parent must go through some pretty serious screening and background checks. We hope that by reading the following info about how they’re screened, you can see that your baby will be safe. 

How are Adoptive Parents Evaluated?

Each hopeful adoptive couple has to be screened and evaluated by an adoption professional. It’s important to note that in all states except Florida, the independent screener does not work for Lifetime. This ensures an unbiased review and screening of all of Lifetime’s adoptive families.

All of our hopeful adoptive parents are required to have adoption background checks, and the couple is required to have a social worker visit their home. When a social worker visits a home in order to collect information on the potential adoptive family’s home, this is what’s known as a home study.

Home Studies

A home study includes more than just a report on the physical conditions of the home, although that certainly plays a part in the screening. But in addition to checking the house itself to make sure it would be a safe place for a child, the social worker also interviews and questions the adoptive couple and other household members to make sure they’re fit to be parents. 

Lifetime Adoption has a wide range of additional information on home studies; both expectant mothers and families considering adoption will find a lot of useful tips and information there. An adoption home study is designed to get a good look at prospective adoptive parents, adult members of the family, and, to ensure there is no history of abuse and neglect. 

General Home Study Requirements and Checks

For example, expectant mothers and birth mothers working with Lifetime Adoption may find it helpful to know that one of the first steps in a home study requires adoptive parents to gather a wide range of essential documents. These include but are not limited to:

• Birth certificates<.li>
• Proof of employment and income
• Proof of insurance
• Medical records

In addition, the social worker will examine other things that make a home “childproof” and therefore child safe. This portion of the home study will likely include examining possible hazards and the ways in which the family has taken steps to protect a child against them.

For instance, cabinets storing cleaning supplies and toxic materials should have childproof locks on them. Smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors must be up to current codes and working properly.

Generally speaking, the house and the yard must be made safe for a child living in the home.

This is just a brief look at some of the things that will be looked at in a home study. By the time an expectant mother reviews families looking to adopt, she will know for sure that they have gone through these background checks. As mentioned above, this includes criminal history checks, income verification, proof of insurance, and other records checks.

Background Checks for Adoption: What Do They Ask Families to Provide?

• Medical history
• Several interviews with each hopeful adoptive parent
• Questions to find out information such as their discipline practices, and how stable their relationship is
• Criminal record, child abuse, and FBI clearances
• Physical exams
• Personal references
• A tour of their home and neighborhood
• Income tax records

Criminal background checks for adoption are required in order to avoid, among other things, the possibility of child abuse, neglect, and the likelihood that an adopting parent will require the intervention of state police, foster care, or human services experts.

While there are no centralized registry home study checks, by looking at all of these evaluations individually, Lifetime knows we have done all in our power to ensure that  every adoptive couple has good morals, is financially secure, and is in a stable marriage.

As you can tell, Lifetime’s adoptive families have to pass an intense screening process.

Follow-Ups for Social Workers and Birth Moms

Even after your baby has gone home with the adoptive couple, they’re still being screened. The social worker will stop by the couple’s home to conduct post-placement visits and interviews. By doing so, they’re able to ensure that your child is flourishing.

Plus, with open adoption, you can see your child as they grow up. Phone conversations, visits, pictures, and updates are an essential part of open adoptions.

Lifetime Adoption will assist you in setting up a plan that you and the adoptive family can agree on. That plan should lay out what to expect after the adoption regarding visits and updates on the child.

At every step of the adoption process, you as the birth mother are in charge of the adoption plan. And all of our adoption services are provided to our birth mothers at no cost.

Since 1986, Lifetime has worked with thousands of adoptive families, birth parents, and children. In that time, we’ve kept the highest level of standards for the adoptive parents. When you choose a Lifetime adoptive family, you can be sure your baby is going into a safe, loving home. While we don’t work in international adoptions, we’re more than happy to discuss adoption plans with service members stationed overseas.

Finally, if you’re facing an unplanned pregnancy and have questions about the process or background checks for adoption, please call or text us at 1-800-923-6784.