Article
1
Is an Adoption Home Study the Best
First
Step in Your Adoption Process?
By Alan
Saunders, Ph.D.,
LCSW
Posted September 14, 2013
Is
an
Adoption Home Study the Best First Step in Your Adoption Process?
Adoption is
an exciting,
emotional and sometimes confusing thing. Questions that
potential adoptive couples ask are good ones and it is important for
the couple to have them answered. Questions are
abundant…do I want to adopt a child born within the United
States (domestic adoption) or do I want to pursue an international
adoption? Do I want to adopt a newborn child or older? Do I want to
adopt a child in foster care? Do I want to use a licensed adoption
agency, an adoption attorney or an unlicensed adoption
facilitator? Answers to these questions help couples make
better decisions throughout each complex turn of the adoption
process.
As couples and families begin the adoption process, many do not know
where to begin or where to turn. Many ask the question,
“Is an adoption home study the best first step in the
adoption process? Answers to this essential question are found in this
article.
A home study completed by a licensed professional will generally be
accepted by adoption
agencies and can be utilized in a situation where a family chooses to
bypass an agency and use an adoption attorney instead. Both
of these are viable alternatives in adopting. When deciding between an
agency or an adoption attorney, a family must do their homework and
research the people they are considering hiring. A family
would do the same research when considering employing any other service
provider. As a family examines the alternatives and specific
entities, some important steps can be taken to assist them in making a
final decision. Some recommendations are to find a couple who
has adopted and ask them about their experiences, whom they used and if
they have an agency or attorney they have been satisfied with. Confirm
that whomever you are contemplating is licensed by the state. Check
with the State licensing agencies, the Better Business Bureau and/or
the state bar association to find out if there have been complaints
about the attorney or agency being considered. Get an
itemized list of costs and ask when payments will be due. Ask how much
experience the attorney or agency has and how many adoptions they
handle each year and also how many total placements they have been
involved with.
Some ask, if I get a home study done in a particular state, say Utah as
an example, can I use that home study to adopt in a different
state? The answer is yes! A family can adopt a child born
outside of Utah with a "Utah" home study. There will need to
be an attorney or agency in the placing state involved but they can use
the home study completed in Utah. The same is true with other
states. The reason for this is that even though a family is
placed with a child in a different state, they will still finalize the
adoption in their home state since they live there.
An adoption home study can also ensure a family or couple that their
particular situation is conducive to the type of adoption they are
considering and can also help to ensure that they are abiding by the
laws in regard to child placement in their state. For
example, in Utah, there is a marriage requirement for
adopting. Here is what the Utah Code reads: (a) A child may
be adopted by: (i) adults who are legally married to each other in
accordance with the laws of this state, including adoption by a
stepparent; or (ii) any single adult, except as provided in Subsection
(3)(b).(b) A child may not be adopted by a person who is cohabiting in
a relationship that is not a legally valid and binding marriage under
the laws of this state.
Part of the home study is to determine the couple’s fitness
to adopt and also to find all the reasons a child should be placed in
your home. Adoption agencies and adoption attorneys are always looking
for good families to place children with. The home study
helps a family explore the issues of how any present children may be
impacted by an adoption and the unique effects the adoption will have
on the existing milieu. Adoption may be the right thing for a
family but a family must ensure that it is also the right time for
their circumstances. The home study also explores the success
of the marriage and existing family and questions how the marriage will
be affected by placing a child in the home. A family with a
struggling marriage may likely be impacted negatively with the
placement of a child.
The home study also explores individuals’ backgrounds with a
reflection on their families of origin, their values, beliefs and how
matters of discipline, drugs and alcohol, religion and other
significant issues were handled. This discussion also
promotes the consideration of present values, beliefs and how matters
of discipline, drugs and alcohol, religion and other significant issues
are going to be handled with their children. Employment
stability, financial status, insurance coverage, health and familial
support are also explored with an emphasis on the expectation of how
the immediate and extended family will receive a child.
Issues surrounding raising adopted children, culture, race and skin
color are all significant issues to be addressed when considering
adoption. These are also focused on in the home
study.
Also required are criminal and child abuse clearances. If there were
any legal issues earlier in a person’s life, they may require
an expungement of their criminal record which is a process by which
record of criminal conviction is destroyed or sealed after a certain
length of time. Any criminal record must be cleared before a
family is approved for placement.
The family’s home is also inspected to determine the
feasibility of placing a child in the home. Size, location,
neighborhood, functionality and condition of the home are all
considered. Family and friend references are written and analyzed to
explore whether this family is mature, stable and capable of raising a
child. The family’s openness decision is explored
and determined. This allows a family to make a firm decision
on how much interaction they encourage and are comfortable with in
regard to contact with the birth parent(s).
The home study will also explore the characteristics of the child the
family has in mind for their family. It is crucial that the
family is clear about the child to be adopted. This
potentially prevents some of the emotionally charged considerations the
family will face of various situations that become potentially
available to them. A family should discuss and be very clear
about what they wish in regard to gender, age, race, skin color,
health, background, including the mother’s use of cigarettes,
alcohol, drugs and her health.
Is an Adoption Home Study the Best First Step in Your Adoption
Process? Questions asked in an adoption home study can help
the family seriously and comprehensively consider and come to a
resolution regarding these vital questions. A completed home
study with a positive recommendation certifies a couple or family as
“approved” for adoption and will represent the
family well to the attorney and/or adoption agency as serious and
prepared to adopt a child.
Alan Saunders, Ph.D., LCSW
Alan Saunders is
an adoption advocate, father of four, licensed
and registered in Utah as an Adoption Professional.
See
more
articles:
Adoption,
A Family Affair
Is
an
Adoption Home Study the Best First Step in Your Adoption Process?
Resolving
the Loss of Fertility
The
Beauty of Adoption
There
is
Hope
Thinking
of
Adopting? You can do it!
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