Any Adoptive Parents Out There? Preparing for the Homestudy Visit...

Hi L.,

My husband and I adopted a little girl from Guatemala 9 years ago. We lived in California at the time and I was so scared of the Homestudy process. I remember having to fill out lots of paperwork on ourselves, our pasts, our other children and extended family. The day of the visit she not only interviewed each member of our household individually but also as a group. She also wanted a complete tour of our home. To be completely honest with you I stressed over it for weeks.....needlessly! The lady was very warm and friendly and made the visit much more comfortable for us all. I think the worst part for me was having to wait for her to get the report written and back to our agency. My biggest piece of advice is just be yourself!! I think the whole homestudy process is so very needed because the last thing we need is children being placed in homes that may be worse than where they are coming from. You must be so excited!! I am excited for you...best of luck to you and Ron. Are you doing an international adoption?

I adopted a child of four. Don't sweat the home visit.They are interested in the space the child will occupy and the loving environment you will provide. You will be fine. G.
www.cantemosco.com

my husband and i are adopting 3 kids right now, (sibling set 4, 3 and almost 5 months) but out of foster care so our experience is much different than what you'll probably go through. our home study has been great so far, the woman doing it is really nice anyway. of course it's WAY more intense than we thought, the questions are incredibly personal, but hey, it's what we have to do.

i just wanted to say congrats on getting started, it's very exciting! Good luck.

A.

Hi L.
Congratulations on your choice to adopt. The homestudy can be stressful. My husband and I started with the state through foster care which is a completly different field. We then adopted two girls through an agency. My only advice is relax and be honest even if you have questions you are afraid to ask. You are not trying to portray a perfect home, but a home. Just remember that and you have it made. Good luck
B.

L.,

What an exciting time for you. Our boys are 6 and 9, both adopted through a social services agency run by our church. My husband and I have been leading an adoption support group for the last several years and have had many discussions concerning the dreaded homestudy. (Neither one of us are social workers, just active adoptive parents.)

The homestudy can feel daunting to say the least. You worry about every little detail and wonder if they are going to check the inside of the cabinets to see if they can find any dirt. (Ok, maybe I'm the only one who worried about that, I'm a little OCD) No one is coming through your home with a white glove. The social worker is there to get a feel for the environment of your home and whether or not it is a safe place for a child. They also want to see you and your husband in your "environment".

Be yourselves, don't overdo on the unnecessary stuff. Clean your home before the visit, but don't go overboard. No one who has children has a perfectly spotless home 24/7. You do not have to have baby gates installed, nor do you have to have any of the other million and one safety gizmos on the market today. Light a candle if you want, make your home smell good. No one expects you to take your life apart piece by piece while you're waiting for a baby. You are intelligent people, you wouldn't have made it this far if you weren't. They know you aren't going to set a candle down where a child can reach it. But right now, there are no children in your home. No stress.

Make sure you have working fire extinguishers in the appropriate locations (ie. laundry room, kithen, garage, and near the furnace). Also make sure the batteries in your smoke alarms are current, or at least current within the last six months.

Now, relax and enjoy the time you will spend with your social worker. He or she will be your greatest ally, your sounding board, and your avenue to a bringing that baby home.

I have tons of adoption resource materials, I've been doing this a long time. If you are interested in any other information, suggested reading, or just need another adoptive mom to bounce ideas off of, let me know.

You're in for an exciting, heartwarming, stressful, emotional, wonderful journey!

G.