Tag Archives: homestudy

Adopting as a Single Parent: The Homestudy

Most adoptive parents are nervous about the “homestudy”, single parents perhaps more than most. The term “homestudy” refers both to the process of pre-adoption meetings with a social worker and the report the social worker prepared based on those meetings, and on letters of reference and evidence of financial stability. The homestudy includes a visit to the house, but contrary to reputation it is not about primarily about the house. It is not about wealth, neatness, or organization. You do not even have to own your home. The only requirement is that the home has space for another child. Our … Continue reading →

Home Study Denied!

For a person or couple who’ve been told they are unable to adopt through a particular agency, it can be devastating. Sometimes the fate of whether a couple will have children lies in the opinion of their assigned adoption worker. Just because a person is denied by an agency doesn’t always mean they will be denied for adoption altogether. For example: If you are hoping to adopt through your state’s foster system and your home study is denied because the adoption worker does not feel you will be best suited for one of their children, this does not mean that … Continue reading →

Preparing for Your Home Study

Don’t panic! Though there are many things to do, there is no reason to become overly stressed about your home study. First, emotionally prepare yourself that home studies can take quite some time to complete. Keep in mind, if there are other adults living in your home, they too will likely have to complete parts of the home study process in order for your family to be approved. There are typically many steps to a home study, some of which may in include (in no particular order): Completed applications for adoption: In addition to being asked for basic information about … Continue reading →

Homestudies Really Aren’t That Bad

I was really worried about our first international adoption homestudy. I was so scared that we wouldn’t “pass” and that our dreams of adopting would be out the window. I really stressed about it. We cleaned our house from top to bottom – all of the closets, the refrigerator, etc. We put child-proof locks on all of the cabinets. Our house was perfect. As it turned out, we worried way too much. I think the social worker took a grand total of two minutes to look around our house. He didn’t open any closets. He didn’t open the refrigerator. He … Continue reading →