Education

All adoptions will require some sort of education surrounding the area of adoption. For domestic adoption, a lot of this education will be centered on the value of open adoption, parenting an adopted child, and general classes on the adoption process. For international adoption, much of these subjects will not apply. This makes the education need very different. Education in an international adoption will likely involve education about the child’s home country, lessons on culture, and further education on what to expect during travel to the child’s home country. This education will vary based on the country from which you are adopting.

Documentation

“A more detailed income report. Domestic adoption requires your tax return, but international adoption may also require a notarized letter from your employer stating how long you have worked there, what your yearly pay is, and how secure your position is.

• A notarized letter from your city or local police station stating that you are a citizen in good standing.
• Background checks and fingerprints. This is the same requirement for a domestic home study.
• One thing to note is that for some countries, every single paper you submit needs to be notarized or stamped by the office or agency verifying it for you.
• At least 10+ hours of education training.”

Origin Country Requirements

While the United States has federal and state guidelines regulating international adoption, each country has its own set of laws and guidelines that control adoption from their country. Some countries will require that prospective adoptive parents obtain “pre-approval” to adopt from their country. Adoption.com notes,

“Many countries require that a hopeful adoptive couple obtain a pre-approval before they are allowed to move forward with the adoption process. Pre-approval is a statement of intent to adopt from a certain country. Special forms must be filled out. An I-600A form is required for non-Hauge approved countries, and an I-800A form is for Hauge approved countries.”

Many countries are part of the Hauge Convention, which makes these guidelines more common and streamlined. As part of the home study, you will need to choose an adoption agency who will conduct and draft the home study report. In international adoption, you are required to have the home study conducted with an adoption agency that has Hague Accreditation. Adoption.com elaborates, stating,

“Hauge Accreditation, also known as the Intercountry Adoption Act, was an international treaty put in place to protect children, biological families, and adoptive parents. Many strict regulations were put into place to prevent child trafficking in international adoptions. For an adoption agency to legally facilitate international adoptions, they must have completed the steps and training required to obtain this accreditation. This is why it is imperative that hopeful adoptive couples choose an agency with this accreditation.”

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Here are some more of the funniest experiences some adoptive parents have gone through during the home study process.  

“The [social worker] was asking my family how I deal with all the noise and chaos in the house (we had seven at the time). My husband was explaining how I am a master of tuning things out. Just then one of the kids had an alarm on their watch go off. My husband commented I probably don’t even hear it, to which I replied, ‘Hear what?’” -Elizabeth

“During our home study safety inspection, the caseworker asked if we had any firearms or weapons in the house, and my husband said ‘Just these guns’ and flexed his arms. I almost died! Thankfully, we still passed.” -Katie

“[During our home study] we are still talking, being asked all kinds of questions, and it’s past our normal dinner time by at least 1.5 hours. So again my very brutally honest 2 year old keeps asking for food. He gets to the point he is now almost signing food pointing to his mouth saying ‘Mommyyyyyy fooooood!! I’m hunnnngry!!’ He finally lost his patience after being told over and over in a little bit baby, looked at us, and said “You shut up? I’m hungry!” The caseworker and I died laughing. I just responded, ‘Honesty. I encourage honesty.’” -Felicia

“At our recent recertification, they interviewed our 4 year old. I was already scared; she is quite the wild card. I don’t even think the caseworker had asked a question, she just blurted out ‘Mommy got mad and sent us outside.’ I HAD to interject and explain, ‘She was wrestling with her (12-year-old) brother, and so I told them both to go jump on the trampoline for 10 minutes to get some energy out.’ Then my 4 year old says, ‘Yep. That’s what happened.’ Oh man….” -Kelly

“In preparation for our first home study visit, I had scrubbed every square inch of our house. The pillows were perfectly placed on our couch…I was trying to set the tone that we would be the perfect parents. During the visit as we were all sitting on our couch, our Golden Retriever (sitting at the feet of the social workers), farted very loudly and even my Yankee candle couldn’t drown the smell. I said, ‘And there goes our image of perfection.’ It was actually a nice icebreaker, but I was like, ‘Seriously, dude? You had to let one rip right at that moment?!’” -Lesley

“The night before our adoption home study, I was frantically cleaning and worrying about what the caseworker would think. I was sweeping our front stoop and realized my mums [a type of flower] in the front of the house had died…I had a minor panic attack because I was CONVINCED that because I let my mums die that the caseworker would think we couldn’t handle a baby. I was so worked up about it that I ended up at Kroger at midnight buying pumpkins to replace my flowers—just in case. No one said a word, and the adoption went through just fine. But in retrospect, I think it’s so funny how I channeled all my nervous energy into dead mums.” -Mallory

“During one of our visits, I was exhausted. I had been up early cleaning all day. By the time our visit happened at 4 p.m., the combination of not eating much, cleaning supplies, and not enough sleep caught up with me. I made it almost to the end when I jumped up, bolted with lighting speed to the bathroom, opened the door, and sprayed the bathroom walls with my vomit. The caseworker said ‘That’s enough for today.’ The worst part was I created more cleaning because of my cleaning frenzy.” -Shelley

“It was a rainy spring day when our caseworker arrived for a home study visit. She was a little bit early, so we hadn’t put our overly excited, people-loving dog in the laundry room yet. My youngest opened the front door and let the caseworker come in, and the dog ran right up to her and ran circles around her legs, all the while peeing all over her feet. I was SO EMBARRASSED, but she just laughed and said ‘At least I’m wearing my rain boots!’”  -Julie

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1. Get the Checklist

One aspect of the home study that I was most worried about was the “safety audit.” I was nervous that I would miss some sort of safety hazard in my home or not know about a criteria the social worker would be expecting me to have fulfilled. While your home doesn’t often have to be completely childproofed at the time of the home study, there are some basic safety requirements that each county will require. In researching requirements, I hit the jackpot when I found the “Safety Audit” paperwork for our counties DFS available online. I was simply able to print the checklist the social worker would be using so I knew exactly what to expect. If you are unable to find the safety audit online, contact your local child protective service office or even just your agency to see if they will send you a copy of the checklist. I was able to make sure every criteria was covered before our home study and eliminate any fear that I had previously.

2. Have the Paperwork Ready

While our agency provided a list of paperwork we needed for the day of our home study, we found out at the first interview that we did not have everything we needed. We had every piece of documentation they asked for, but there were additional pieces needed that they had failed to note. While there was a moment of panic, I had luckily prepared for such an incident by having all of our legal, tax, and identification documents at the ready in case there would be anything more they needed. A few days before your home study, make sure you have every document needed. In addition, make copies of all your important documents in case your social worker needs additional documentation or clarification. Have a computer and printer ready for anything you may be missing. 

3. Plan Ahead

The night before our first home study, I did not sleep at all. I was nervous, but I also left way too much to do at the last minute. So much of your home study will be about your personal interview, not how clean your home is. While the safety audit and having your home tidy is important to address, it is vital that you are well rested so you can put your best foot forward. Don’t be like me and leave everything to the last minute. I can still feel the panic and dread I experienced the night before our first home study visit. It is just not worth procrastinating! Gather some help from friends and family and get everything done at least a week prior to your home study. Your goal should be to just have a little last minute tidying the night before so you can get ample rest. Check all of your checklists a few days before and make sure you are completely ready. There is little worse than realizing you are missing a vital piece of documentation at 9 a.m. the day of your home study. Trust me, I know!

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