The Home Study Process
Your family will need an approved home study for any type of adoption you choose to pursue, whether it is domestic or international. The home study has to be completed by an agency that is licensed by the state in which you live, not necessarily where your child is located. God's Children Adoption Agency, Inc. is licensed by the states of Minnesota and North Dakota to prepare home studies and post placement supervision reports. We will work with your child-placing agency to create a report that will satisfy all state, immigration or intercountry requirements. We will also do our best to present your family as professionally and accurately as possible.
The home study process should not be a time when the prospective adoptive parents worry about being "good enough." The fact is that the requirements for adoption are pretty clear:
- you may not have a criminal record or a history of child or adult maltreatment,
- you must have income adequate to support additional children,
- you must complete the agency specific training,
- you must be physically and emotionally healthy to parent another child,
- you must live in a home that has adequate space and is a safe environment for children.
Although God's Children Adoption Agency, Inc. has agency-specific requirements, be assured that we are not "looking" for ways to discredit you. We will do our best to disclose any concerns we have in an open and professional manner. Remember, most of our home study agents are adoptive parents and have been in your shoes before.
The home study process consists of three meetings, one of which will be in your home, between you and the adoption home study agent. You will be asked many questions, asked to gather many documents and given much support along the way! A home study report will be written by our agency that is recognized by the state of Minnesota or North Dakota. Most child-placing agencies will not work with you until you have an approved home study.
Post placement reports are written after the child arrives home. They involve a brief visit from a representative of our agency, in order to ascertain that the child is being well cared for and that the family is adjusting and receiving the support they desire. A separate report is written after each post placement visit. The number of post placement visits required varies dependent on the placement agency you chose.
