Several documents and assessments had to be collected prior to our social worker completing the home study. (Disclaimer: I imagine everyone’s home study is different based on the person conducting the home study. Plus, I went a little overboard with preparations because I’m an anxious, Type-A person. Take it with a grain of salt.)

☑ Document household member information, including all children.

We were given a hefty packet of information to complete at our initial consultation. We were told these documents had to be completed and handed to our social worker at our first home study appointment. The documents asked for basic demographics and identification of every person living in our home, and it got increasingly complex from there. Most of the questionnaires were repetitive, so I recommend you keep a copy of the most detailed document on hand while filling out the others. (Remember to scan and save a copy of everything!)

☑ Document family and parenting history.

We were asked to write several essays about our experience as children. How did our parents treat us? What kind of houses were we raised in? How were we disciplined? How did our parents show us affection? These were followed by questions about our expectant parenting style. What kind of parenting styles were we most familiar with? Which do we hope to use? Some parenting styles include authoritarian, child-led, gentle, permissive, authoritative, and neglectful/uninvolved. Luckily, we had a lot of examples of parenting techniques because we’ve cared for so many foster children. In short, we believe every child requires a different parenting style. Generally speaking, however, our goal is to foster an environment of love and support.

☑ Document suitability of living arrangements.

We were asked to provide a lot of information about our home. This included proof of ownership, square footage, cost (at purchase + market price + balance owed), floor plan, fire escape maps, safety assessments, and more. (In foster care, the nursery/bedroom is inspected with extra scrutiny because you must follow the state’s rules. Adoption is slightly more flexible.)

☑ Provide documentation of citizenship or immigration status.

Order an official copy of those birth and marriage certificates now! The process takes foreverrr. (We did not have to provide a copy of our foster child’s birth certificate because he is under the care of the state, and therefore, his identity is confidential.)

☑ Provide financial resources and proof of ability to support the adopted child(ren).

We were given several documents, most formatted like an excel table, where we had to detail every aspect of our financial situation. This included income (gross + net) as a couple and independently, anything withheld from income, assets, benefits, stocks, retirement, insurance, checking account balance, savings account balance, screenshots, letters from the bank, an itemized list of bills, and proof of payment for adoption (during + post). We also had to provide the agency with letters from our employers (or in my case, the state) that assured we will continue to have income.

☑ Provide physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral health assessments.

Every household member was given a form that had to be filled out by a doctor. We all visited our primary care physicians and got these filled out. This included a tuberculosis and HIV/aids test. Luckily, it was just the bloodwork kind, not the “prick test and come back” kind! Then, we also needed to provide proof of vaccinations. In my mom’s case, she had to call a bunch of NJ offices to get an original copy of her vaccinations.  Because I have a lengthy medical history, I also had to provide proof of “positive prognosis” and a letter from my doctor(s) that said I’m fit to parent. If there were any emotional or behavioral issues, we’d have to provide letters and assessments for that as well.

☑ Provide criminal history and background checks.

Jared and I brought our criminal background check forms to our local courthouse. Mom didn’t have to be there. They ran our name(s) through their system, documented any felonies (we had none!), and stamped our papers. It took about 15 minutes and cost $25/person.

We also had to get re-fingerprinted, despite doing this for foster care two years prior. (Apparently, they expire every two years.) We went to our local sheriff’s office and purchased [3] fingerprint cards. They were $10 each. Then, we mailed these cards to the National Registry required by our agency. The registry checks cost $55/person. There’s also a way to do this digitally, but it wasn’t available in our area.

☑ Ensure a child abuse check has been performed on each PAP on all available registries.

In foster care, it’s common that a parent is placed on the Responsible Individual Person’s list (RIL). According to UNC School of Government, “North Carolina’s RIL was established in 2006 as a list of individuals responsible for the abuse or serious neglect of a child, and it’s a direct result of federal requirements under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA).”

☑ If there is any evidence of rehabilitation, get referrals from licensed professionals.

In our case, nope!

☑ Evaluate any prior home studies (if app).

In our case, kind of! We’d already passed our foster care home study two years prior. However, adoptive and foster home studies are considered separate things, so we had to retest.

☑ Ensure the PAPS received the proper training (CPR, etc).

We were already licensed in several required areas including CPR through DSS. We were excused from this requirement. We need to be relicensed at the 2-year mark.

☑ Ensure the PAP met every state and county requirements.

☑ Get [3] notarized reference letters sent unopened to the agency or PAP residence.

We’re blessed with a strong support system, so we had no problem finding willing letter writers. The trick is the notary part. No one has the time or money to find a notary and get a letter notarized. Not to mention the cost, so give your letter writers plenty of time to get this task done! Our agency required us to recruit [3] specific letter writers: a longtime friend, an employer, and a neighbor. Then, we provided additional contacts as backups. Naturally, we wanted our loved ones to write as well.

☑ Complete the required e-learning certification classes.

We were [3] online classes away from completing our e-learning certification. Call me a nerd, but I actually enjoyed these classes. I found them helpful. We watched [3] videos created by an adoptive parent, kept a journal, and answered the questions at the end of the video. We received our certificate after we correctly answered all of the questions, submitted our journals, and completed [2] phone interviews with the e-learning creator. Video topics included: understanding generations of expectant parents, how to make a profile, and networking.

☑ Answer [3] pages worth of advertisement-based questions and create a family profile.

Our agency requires us to make a physical and digital profile. We must also create a Facebook page, Instagram page or Pinterest page, and a YouTube page. Finally, we must create a website. We were asked to submit 45 pictures that represent our life to a drop box. Out of those 45 pictures, nine pictures are chosen to show birth families. Then, we created an introduction video.

☑ Home Study #1 (pre-adoption)

Our social worker collected all of our completed paperwork. She asked us a series of questions to get to know us better and create a family profile.

☑ Home Study #2 (pre-adoption)

Our social worker collected the remainer of our paperwork. This is also (typically) when the social worker will thoroughly inspect your home.

☑ Receive a copy of your approved home study

We are home study approved and finally eligible to apply for adoption grants!

Next steps related to home study:

☑ Home Study #3 (post-adoption)

☑ Home Study #4 (post-adoption)