Potential adoptive families who passed the application screening are generally notified by a letter of the decision to move ahead to the Home Study phase. You’re then assigned a social worker who will be your licensing specialist, and depending on your state’s regulations, may or may not also be part of the placement procedures.

It seems a bit backwards that the person who gets to know you during the home study may not be the person who connects you with a child, but that is often the reality. Their job is primarily to be a resource while you’re moving forward towards getting licensed, and to create a folder (in international adoption terms: the dossier) which houses all the information and legal documents they’ve collected.

The home study process can take anywhere from 8 – 16 weeks (or longer) depending on how quickly all the background checks and CPS records come in for review by your family’s social worker.

This time frame and what precisely is included in the home study is probably what varies most from state to state so it may be helpful to review your state’s regulations. As an example, I was recently talking with a friend from Texas who said the social workers in her county actually open cupboards and look at how food is being stored, which is much more extensive than anything we encountered.

Regarding this step, the Child Welfare Information Gateway says:

“Flexibility and a sense of humor are vital characteristics when raising children, and they can be useful during the home study process as well. With perseverance and a positive outlook, you will be able to team with the social worker to make this a valuable learning experience—one that will help you do the best possible job in parenting the child who will eventually join your family.”

The cost of a home study

Unlike in international adoption where a home study can cost $1,000 – $3,000 or more – in foster adoption it’s free. However, it does have a shelf life (usually of 12 months) so that families must continue to move forward or face having to start over because the state and/or local agency wants to make sure that all the information is current.

What to expect from your foster adoption home study

Your licensing specialist will essentially ask you all the same kinds of questions that were in your application to gauge the readiness of your family to move ahead with the adoption process, and to facilitate a good match once it comes time for placement. Be prepared for 3 to 5 visits to:

1. Assess the condition of your home and make sure its in compliance with applicable laws + regulations
2. Interview all residents living in the home
3. Arrange for pre-placement training

Basic home requirements

A big, fancy house is not required. Here are the things that stood out to us that our social worker was looking for:

• Working smoke detectors in every bedroom, stairway and on each floor of the home
• At least one operable land line (we signed up for Magic Jack because we only had cell phones when the adoption process began)
• Stair rails for every set of stairs
• All bathroom doors need to be able to lock, and the lock can be opened from the outside in case of emergency (which we were able to have overridden because our doors + locks are originals from the 1890′s)
• All windows are screened
• Anything potentially hazardous to children must be stored in a non-accessible area (especially guns – although we don’t have any)
• At least one ABC rated fire extinguisher

Here in Wisconsin these are the laws regarding the adoptive child’s bedroom:

• A minimum of 40sq feet per child
• Must have a door for privacy
• Must have a dresser and/or closet
• Is not shared with an adult if the child is over the age of 1 (unless there’s a medical reason)
• Children under 7 can’t have a bedroom in the attic, basement, or third floor of a home
• Children ages 6 and over can’t share a room with a child of the opposite sex

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Step 1: Getting the facts + going to an informational meeting

Step 2: The application

Thanks to Johnson & Johnson’s Health channel on YouTube for sponsoring the series!