home study

reb259 · June 2012

I live in Texas...what should i expect during the home study/visit? What docs do i have to have available? Banking/financial information, tax info, .... Thanks! Sorry for formatting posting from my phone

IRR · June 2012

I am not from TX so it may be a bit different, but I believe all home study's require current Tax returns, current pay stubs, lots of forms to fill out with information about you, DH and immediate family members like siblings, parents etc. Medical exam will needed to be done along with criminal background checks. We had to write a mini biography answering questions on why we chose adoption and about our life before the decision was made. I don't recall actually submitting bank statements, but we might have. I think there is an FAQ on this board that may have even more information. GL.

Amyaggie97 · June 2012

I live in Tx and just did our home study last month. For the prep work your agency should give you a list of documents that need to be submitted. A copy of these should be given to the SW that does the home study. For the home study visit make sure you have completed the items on the safety checklist, that hopefully the agency gave you. Things like fire extinguisher, smoke detectors, etc... If you haven't received anything like this then ask your agency.

We cleaned a lot for ours but they just gave everything a quick look and then we sat down for ~3.5 hours to ask questions. We had copies of all the documents that we submitted, tax returns, copies of bank statements, and bills etc.just in case they asked for proof. They didn't but I have talked to some people where they did ask to see that stuff. But we did use that as reference for us when they asked questions about our bills and financial situation.

It's a stressful process but once it's done you will realize the anticipation is worse than the actual visit!

reb259 · June 2012

Thank you. We are not working with an agency. We have found ourselves in a situation where there is an unwanted baby and we could have the opportunity to adopt her. The baby is already here. I realized we are doing things backwards and are already behind the 8 ball.

Amyaggie97 · June 2012

I guess I would ask whoever is doing the home study what information they need and what safety things they look for. If the child is already dealing with CPS then they have guidelines they should be able to give you. I would think the state would have to get involved or an adoption lawyer or someone. When we were looking at doing foster to adopt we talked to Lutheran Social Services and while we decided that wasn't the route for us we still really liked them. If there is one in your area give them a call. They contract with CPS and follow the same guidelines.

Dr.Loretta · June 2012

I agree, talk to whomever is doing the homestudy. They typically don't just show up and say, "We're going to say yes or no," they have a checklist and provide it to you. You'll need to do a background check to make sure you're not a felon or child abuser. Those will be through local/state PDs and the FBI. This includes fingerprinting. You'll need financial info--usually just a statement of debt and income, and tax information. You may have to fill out a questionnaire, but I'm not sure how much that's emphasized for an expedited homestudy. You'll need to have a home visit from the person doing the home study, where they come and make sure your house is safe for a child.

But really, they should lay this all out for you.

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