Sometimes, you go somewhere expecting it to be totally different, and it ends up seeming familiar. I had that feeling as I led a group of students on a trip to China—and then again, back home, as we met an expectant mother.
Parent-to-Parent: Home Study Anxiety
The homestudy is a stressful experience for any prospective adoptive parent, but it can be especially nerve-wracking for those with health concerns or youthful indiscretions. Our readers offer advice on getting through this stage of the adoption process.
Parent-to-Parent: Preparing for the Adoption Home Study Visit
Real parents share how they prepared for the adoption home study visit with a social worker, offering helpful tips and some funny stories.
Ask AF: Revealing Health Problems During a Home Study
My wife has ongoing health problems, but they are not debilitating. Will this be a factor in the home study?
Ask AF: Disclosing Criminal History in a Home Study
When I was a teenager, I was convicted of driving under the influence. It was a long time ago and I am long past those drinking days. Do I need to tell the social worker about it?
Ask AF: Restrictions to Adoption
Answers to your parenting questions.
Ask AF: Eligible to Adopt?
Answers to your parenting questions.
Ask AF: Prospective Parents’ Mental Health
Answers to your parenting questions.
News Brief: Expert Recommends Screening Adoptive Parents for Depression
Pregnant women should be screened for depression, experts say. Should adoptive parents be included in this recommendation?
Home Study Documentation
The list of documents looks daunting; just take them one by one. You can make the process easier if you get the correct documents on the first try—nothing is more frustrating than having your home study held up because you have to chase yet another bit of paper.
Avoiding Home Study Problems
If you have a medical, financial, or criminal record that you fear might result in an unfavorable home study, don’t wait to mention it.
Questions to Answer Before Your Home Study
Your home study will not only assess your ability to parent a child through adoption, it will also help you understand more about adoption and parenting.
Home Study 101: Everything You Need to Prepare
A home study is a document that says you can be a parent. What does that mean?
Parent-to-Parent: The Home Study
Every adoptive family must undergo a home study as part of the process. We asked readers to tell us about theirs and share their advice.
Ask AF: Are Homestudies Transferable?
Answers to your parenting questions.
Webinar Replay – Adoption Paperwork
View the replay of the webinar “Adoption Paperwork, Explained,” with Ketiwe Boahene, to learn about all the documentation required for your adoption home study, why you need it, and how to obtain it.
The Home Study in Seven Steps
There’s no set format for home studies, but most include the following seven steps.
Surviving the Home Study
Use the home study to learn all about adoption.
On the Safe Side
After months of waiting, you finally get “the call.” But is your home really ready for a baby?
View the Adoption Home Study Webinar Replay
View the replay of a webinar with social worker Stella Gilgur-Cook, LCSW, to learn about the adoption home study process and hear answers to commonly asked questions from prospective adoptive parents.