You Can’t Adopt Without This

So you want to adopt a baby, but you’re worried about the home study? Why do these random strangers get to come in and pass judgment on your life and decide whether or not you’re fit to adopt? 

Listen, I get it. I’ve been there myself. Twice. I’ve helped over 1,000 families be formed through adoption. So I know how nerve-racking the home study process can be.

But it doesn’t have to be that way, my friend.

Today I’m going to walk you through the different parts of the home study process, and ultimately how you can reduce the overwhelm and anxiety that you’re feeling right now in this moment. 

What is a home study?

A home study is a screening of the home and the life of the potential adoptive parents before a baby is adopted. This is one of those steps that in 98% of all states, is required before you actually are eligible to adopt a child. Basically, a home study is a licensed social worker coming in to interview you to get to know you on a deeper level, reviewing materials that you’ve provided to them in advance, and inspecting your home to decide whether or not you should be eligible to adopt the child.

Steps of a home study

1. Mount Paperwork

The first step to the home study process is what I call mount paperwork. It is literally a mountain of paperwork that you are preparing to provide for the home study worker to review. So really, what that means is, they’re going to give you the list of documents that they require (tax records, a letter of employment verification, financial worksheet, etc.), and they’re going to review all of this information in detail.

It is very important that you provide them precisely what they’re asking for in the exact format and order that they are asking for it. This can be a really overwhelming thing to think that someone’s going to go through and look at all of your finances, ask for a letter from your doctor saying that you have a reasonable life expectancy, and will want references from you.

Not only does it feel overwhelming because of the sheer list of things that you have to provide, but also because the information itself can feel a little intrusive. However, providing that information is critical to you obtaining that home study approval. So it’s one of those steps that you really need to follow to the tee and get right so that you can move on to the next step in the process.

2. The Interview

The second step in the home study process is the interview. This is as scary as it sounds. The social worker is going to come into your house and they are going to ask you questions. They are going to interview each member of the family individually and as a couple, or as a family if you have other children. Those interviews will look slightly different based upon the age of your existing child. If your child is younger, they’re going to ask to see you interacting and playing together. If your child is older, they’re going to ask them questions directly if they’re able to articulate an answer back to them.

Preparing for the questions that each member of your family is going to be asked is a really important step to make sure that you’re going to be successful in the home study process. The questions they might ask you are going to be around your discipline style, who you know, plans to care for the child, and things of that nature. Preparing for that is nerve-racking. My husband and I both struggled with this. Obviously, I’m a little bit of an extrovert, but my husband is a total introvert. He is definitely the type that was like, let’s just tell me what exactly I need to do and say so that we can get a baby in our house. So helping him prepare ahead of time for that would have been something that I should have done. However, I didn’t have any resources to tell me what types of questions I would be asked in a home study.

But you, my friend, you do have that resource.

If you want to know the exact questions that you’re going to be asked in the home study process and how to prepare your home, I have a home study success system that will be perfect for you.

3. Home Inspection

The third step in the home study process is the home inspection. This typically happens at the same time as your interview because they’re going to come to your house and ask you all the questions. So of course, they’re going to inspect your home. But they have specific things that they are looking for to make sure that your home is ready for a baby. There are specific safety protocols that they will require you to follow in order for your home to be deemed safe for your baby. 

There are going to be some specific requirements if you have a two-story home or if you have a pool, or if you are a gun owner, or if you have a lot of land, or things of that nature that are going to be a little bit more unique.

But then there is going to be a huge checklist of things that are really common no matter what type of house you live in. It’s that old dreaded image of the white glove on the furniture. Are they finding dust? But really they’re looking to make sure the home is clean and safe enough for a baby to be crawling around on the floor.

They’re looking for two main things when they come in to look for the home study. Is it safe in the terms that it is actually ready and baby-proofed? Is it safe for a child to grow up in that environment from a cleanliness perspective?

4. Post Placement Visit

This is going to happen after the baby is born and in the home with you, typically after the revocation period but before the finalization. The revocation period is the period in which the birth parent has to change their mind. Finalization is when the adoption becomes legal and finalized. 

The requirements for post-placement visits vary by state. I’m going to give you a general overview of what post-placement visits are, but if it’s something that you need a specific deep dive into, then reach out to me and I can help you navigate through that.

Placement visits can impact whether or not the baby gets to stay with you permanently. This is true even if the rights of the expectant parents or birth parents have already been terminated. In very, very rare cases, I’ve actually heard of cases – not with my clients, thankfully – where the birth parent's rights have been terminated, but the adoptive parents didn’t pass the post-placement test or home study visits, and ultimately the baby was reassigned to another couple. In one really extreme circumstance, the child was actually placed into foster care. So you want to make sure you get this right because it does have an impact on the overall success of your adoption.

The post-placement visits themselves can be either virtual or physical. They are going to check how the baby is doing, how the family is doing, how are you doing together as a family unit, etc. That is really the most critical part, are you a functioning healthy family unit? 

The post-placement visits are nerve-wracking, and you are sleep-deprived because you’re taking care of a newborn. So preparation for these is even more important than when you’re fresh and energized early in the process for the home inspection and interview. Understanding what questions they’re going to ask you and what they’re looking for will help you make the best use of your preparation time before this step.

Here you go, my friend. That is the full home study process. If you’ve found value in this video, then I know you’re going to love to watch this video of one of my clients who recently brought home their son in just five months.