Adoption Options

The Home Study

A home study is a process conducted to prepare families for adoption. It is required in almost all adoptions including public agency, private agency, international, or independent adoptions. Download The Home Study Application »

Why Do You Need A Home Study?

The main purpose of the home study is to insure that families are prepared to take on the responsibility of parenting through adoption and can provide a safe and nurturing home for a child. A completed home study assures that several basic elements are present in a family, including a stable home environment, the emotional and financial resources to raise a child, and the genuine desire to be parents.

There are broad definitions of what constitutes a family, and Adoption Options provides home studies for traditional as well as non-traditional families who meet these criteria. The process is designed to educate about adoption and its impact on all members of the adoptive circle, including adoptive parents, birth parents and adopted children.

What Is Involved in a Home Study?

At Adoptions Options, the home study process includes several meetings with a licensed social worker, both at the agency and at the prospective parents’ home. It is a time for you to explore adoptive family life including the continuum of openness in adoption, the experiences of birth parents, to discuss issues of race and ethnicity and have a chance to ask all of your questions. During this time information is also being gathered such as autobiographical and background information, letters of reference,employment verification, child abuse and criminal clearances, medical history and income statements.

Once the process is completed, the social worker writes a document incorporating the information gathered, and this is known as the “home study”.

Adoption Options Home Studies are Widely Accepted

Adoption Options is a licensed adoption agency and has achieved Hague Accreditation from the Council on Accreditation. Our home studies are recognized and accepted by other agencies, states and countries. This document is valid for one year from the approval date and can be updated annually as needed.

The Home Study Helps You to Feel Ready to Adopt

We will explore with you your expectations, concerns, and the types of adoption and degree of openness you would like to pursue. By the time the home study process is done, you should be feeling well prepared and ready to become adoptive parents.