Adoption Packet 1

General Information Packet

Getting Started: Adoption Packet 1

This packet is provided for prospective adoptive parents and others interested in learning more about the adoption process. Contents include: • Adoption: Where Do I Start? • Adoption Options: Factsheet for Families • The Adoption Home Study Process Child Welfare Information Gateway (Information Gateway) offers many other resources about all types of adoption. For more information or to order additional publications, visit the Information Gateway website at www.childwelfare.gov, email Information Gateway at [email protected], or call Information Gateway at 800.394.3366.

Child Welfare Information Gateway Children’s Bureau/ACYF U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 1250 Maryland Avenue, SW Administration for Children and Families Eighth Floor Washington, DC 20024 Administration on Children, Youth and Families 800.394.3366 Children’s Bureau Email: [email protected] www.childwelfare.gov FactSheet for Families

July 2010

Adoption: Where Do I Start?

What’s Inside: • Step 1: Educate yourself This factsheet is an introduction to the many paths • Step 2: Understand the law to building your family through adoption. It will • Step 3: Explore your options/ give you an understanding of the basics in any Select an agency adoption process and guide you to resources at each step. • Step 4: Complete a home study • Step 5: Engage in the placement process • Step 6: File necessary legal documents • Step 7: Parent your child • Additional resources

Step 1: Educate Yourself The National Foster Care & Adoption Directory allows users to search for adoption resources in every State, the What You Should Know District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Many resources exist to help prospective the U.S. Virgin Islands to assist families adoptive parents educate themselves about in their pursuit of adoption: adoption. www.childwelfare.gov/nfcad • Local community colleges, adoption exchanges, adoption agencies, hospitals, religious groups, and other organizations may offer adoption preparation programs. Step 2: Understand • Adoptive parent support groups often are willing to assist people considering the Law adoption. In addition, regional adoption exchanges, local agencies, and State What You Should Know Adoption Program Managers can send you information to help get you started. State laws and regulations govern U.S. adoptions. Learning about the adoption There are also many books, magazines, and laws in your State, or any States involved websites on this topic; some are listed at the with your adoption, can smooth the process end of this factsheet. and help you avoid frustrating situations.

Some Places to Go Some Places to Go To learn more about what to expect when The State Statutes Search on the Information pursuing specific types of adoption, see Gateway website highlights adoption the Child Welfare Information Gateway topics and provides a brief overview and factsheet Adoption Options: www. summaries of State laws on each topic: childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_adoptoption.cfm www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/ You can also check the resources listed at the laws_policies/state end of this document. Information regarding who may adopt, timeframes for consent and revocation of consent to adoption, termination of parental rights laws, and more are provided in the database and can be searched by State, Territory, or region. In many States, the process to adopt a stepchild is different from other kinds

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of adoption. To learn more about the legal issues involved, see the Information Gateway factsheet Stepparent Adoption: www. childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_step.cfm If you choose to adopt a child from another country, you will need to know whether the country from which Step 3: Explore Your you plan to adopt is a party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Options/Select Children and Co-operation in Respect of an Agency Intercountry Adoption. Countries that are parties to the Hague Convention have specific requirements for the What You Should Know adoption process, including the home Families wishing to adopt have many study, parent training and eligibility, options. The following is one way to think applicable forms, and more. The mission about how choices in adoption may flow of the Hague Convention is to safeguard from one another: the children and parents involved in the adoption process. • Where will our family’s child come from? (Domestic or intercountry adoption?) • The U.S. Department of State website lists countries that are parties to the • If we adopt domestically, what type Hague Convention: www.adoption. of adoption is best for our family? state.gov/hague/overview/countries. (Public agency, licensed private agency, html independent, or facilitated/unlicensed agency adoption?) • Information Gateway’s factsheet Intercountry Adoption From Hague • If we choose intercountry adoption, what Convention and Non-Hague Convention country will our child come from? (Hague Countries provides more information Convention or non-Hague Convention on this topic: www.childwelfare.gov/ country? See box.) pubs/factsheets/hague.cfm The way you choose to adopt will depend on the characteristics of the child you wish to adopt, how long you are willing to wait for your child, and other concerns. Step 4: Complete a Some Places to Go Home Study For more information, see the Information Gateway factsheet Adoption Options: www. What You Should Know childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_adoptoption.cfm No matter which type of adoption you choose to pursue, all prospective adoptive parents must have a home study or family study. A home study involves education,

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preparation, and gathering information • If you are pursuing a foster care adoption, about the prospective adoptive parents. you may review information about a This process can take from 2 to 10 months number of children who are waiting for to complete, depending on agency waiting families. Your agency may have adoption lists and training requirements. States vary events, a photolisting service, TV or video regarding home study requirements, so segments describing waiting children, you should check with your State Adoption or other ways to let you know about Program to learn the specific regulations available children waiting for families. in your State. Intercountry adoption may You can also view waiting children at carry special home study requirements, the national photolisting website: www. depending on the country and agency adoptuskids.org. You will often have the involved. opportunity for preplacement visits to get to know a child before he or she moves Some Places to Go into your home. Your family may also The Information Gateway factsheet The be able to serve as a resource, foster, or Adoption Home Study Process provides concurrent planning family, working with more information about what is generally the agency to support the child’s return included in a home study: www. to his or her birth family as well as being childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_homstu.cfm considered as a potential permanent family for the child if reunification does The National Foster Care & Adoption not occur. Directory lists public adoption agencies in each State and Territory: www.childwelfare. • If you are pursuing adoption through a gov/nfcad licensed private agency, the expectant parents may select your family from among several prospective adoptive Step 5: Engage in the families. • If you are pursuing an independent Placement Process adoption, an attorney or facilitator may help you identify expectant parents, or you may locate them on your own if What You Should Know allowed by State law. Once your home study is completed, • If you are pursuing intercountry you are ready to begin the placement adoption, you may review information process—the time when a specific child is about your prospective child and may identified for your family. Depending on have the opportunity to meet your child the type of adoption you are pursuing, the in his or her placement setting (foster characteristics of the child or children you home or orphanage). are seeking, and a variety of other factors, this process and the time involved in waiting for your child can vary greatly.

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Some Places to Go submit a written recommendation of approval of the adoption to the court. You Information Gateway’s Obtaining Background or your attorney can then file with the court Information on Your Prospective Adoptive Child to complete the adoption. provides suggestions for obtaining a child’s medical, social, and educational history: For intercountry adoptions, the actual www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_background. adoption procedure is just one of a series cfm of required legal processes. In addition to the laws of your State, you must also follow Foster Parents Considering Adoption, also the laws of the child’s country of origin and from Information Gateway, outlines U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services considerations in this type of adoption: requirements (see www.uscis.gov). If you www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_fospar.cfm adopt from a country that participates in Information Gateway’s Intercountry Adoption: the Hague Convention, the process carries Where Do I Start? provides more information further requirements to safeguard the on the placement process when adopting parties involved. The process to finalize a child from another country: www. the adoption depends on the type of childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_inter intercountry adoption, the type of visa the child has, and the laws in your State. Use of Advertising and Facilitators in Adoptive Placements provides summaries of State laws regulating the use of advertising and facilitators in private placements: www. childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_policies/ Most adoptions of children from statutes/advertisingall.pdf foster care are handled by public child welfare agencies. The national online photolisting at AdoptUsKids provides Step 6: File Necessary pictures and general descriptions of children in foster care around the Legal Documents country who are waiting for families: www.adoptuskids.org What You Should Know Information Gateway publishes resource All domestic adoptions need to be finalized lists of links to photolisting services in in court. The process varies from State to each State: State. Generally a child must have lived with • State Adoption Photolisting Services the adoptive family for at least 6 months Websites: www.childwelfare. before the adoption can be legally finalized. gov/pubs/reslist/rl_dsp_website. During this time, a social worker may visit cfm?rs_id=19&rate_chno=AZ-0005E several times to ensure the child is well cared for and to write up the required court • State Adoption Exchange Websites: reports. After this period, the agency (or www.childwelfare.gov/ attorney in an independent adoption) will pubs/reslist/rl_dsp_website. cfm?typeID=81&rate_chno=AZ-0003E

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Some Places to Go • Parenting adopted children of different ages The National Foster Care & Adoption Directory provides an attorney referral • Adoption and school issues service for each State: www.childwelfare. • Transitioning from foster to adoptive gov/nfcad parenting Two Information Gateway factsheets • Parenting a child who has been sexually provide more information about finalization abused of intercountry adoptions: • Postadoption services • Intercountry Adoption: Where Do I Start?: www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_inter • Selecting and working with an adoption therapist • Intercountry Adoption From Hague Convention and Non-Hague Convention Countries: www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/ factsheets/hague.cfm Additional Resources

Step 7: Parent Your Child General Adoption Adopting.com www.adopting.com/info2.html What You Should Know Extensive index of adoption resources The final, and most important, step in on the Internet the adoption process is to be a parent to your adopted child. Adoption is a lifelong Adoptive Families Magazine process. Your family, like many families, www.adoptivefamilies.com may need support adjusting to life with Bimonthly information source for your new child. Your family and your child families before, during, and after may have additional questions at different adoption developmental stages. How to Make Adoption an Affordable Some Places to Go Option (PDF – 2,221 KB) www.smartaboutmoney.org/LinkClick.asp Read more in the Parenting Your Child x?fileticket=KDo4VV4Mzfo%3D&tabid=4 From Birth to Adulthood section of the 42&mid=832 Information Gateway website: www. Booklet from the National Endowment childwelfare.gov/adoption/postadoption/ for Financial Education (current through families/parenting.cfm 2004) This includes information about:

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Pediatricians With a Special Interest in Intercountry Adoption Adoption and Foster Care Medicine U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (PDF – 52 KB) www.uscis.gov (click on Adoption) www.aap.org/sections/adoption/ Downloadable forms and frequently SOAFCAdoptionDirectory2.pdf asked questions about intercountry Nationwide listing from the American adoptions Academy of Pediatrics of physicians and clinics specializing in assessments of U.S. Department of State international adoptees http://adoption.state.gov Publications, news and statistics, Domestic Adoption factsheets, information on the Hague Convention, and country-specific Insight: Open Adoption Resources & information Support www.openadoptioninsight.org The Hague Convention on Protection of Resources and support for families Children and Co-operation in Respect involved in open adoptions of Intercountry Adoption http://hcch.e-vision.nl/index_ Openness in Adoption: A Factsheet for en.php?act=conventions.text&cid=69 Families The full text of the May 1993 convention www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_openadopt. cfm Joint Council on International A factsheet to help you decide if open Children’s Services adoption is right for your family www.jcics.org Membership organization that sets Foster Care Adoption standards, conducts legislative advocacy, State Child Welfare Agency Websites and provides country-specific adoption www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/reslist/rl_dsp_ information website.cfm?rs_ID=16&rate_chno=AZ- 0004E State Recognition of Intercountry Contains links to State child welfare Adoptions Finalized Abroad agency websites in all 50 States and the www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_ District of Columbia policies/statutes/intercountry.cfm More information about States’ laws on AdoptUsKids intercountry adoption finalization www.adoptuskids.org National photolisting service of children Kinship Adoption in foster care waiting for families Kinship Caregivers and the Child Welfare System: A Factsheet for Families www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_kinshi/ index.cfm

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The benefits, barriers, and resources for Special Circumstances kinship placements, including subsidized Military Families and Adoption: A guardianships Factsheet for Families www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/ Kinship Care/Grandparents Raising militarybulletin.cfm Grandchildren Answers to questions about adoption www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/reslist/rl_dsp. often asked by military families cfm?subjID=30&rate_chno=AR-0028A Linked list of organizations and resources Stepparent Adoption for grandparents raising grandchildren www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_step.cfm Factsheet explaining the steps involved in AARP Grandparent Information Center stepparent adoption www.aarp.org/family/grandparenting Information about being a good Transracial/Transcultural Families grandparent, visitation rights, and raising www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/types/ grandchildren families/transracial.cfm Resources for professionals and families State Factsheets for Grandparents and who have adopted or are considering Other Relatives Raising Children adopting transracially or transculturally www.cwla.org/programs/kinship/ statefactsheets.htm State-by-State information about kinship Adoption Publishers/Booksellers care Adopting.org (online) www.adopting.org Generations United www.gu.org Adoption World Specialties Programs, trainings, resources, public www.adoptionworld.net policy, and events of interest to EMK Press grandparents and other relatives raising www.emkpress.com children Pact, An Adoption Alliance Tools for Working With Kinship www.pactadopt.org Caregivers (PDF - 130 KB) Perspectives Press www.hunter.cuny.edu/socwork/nrcfcpp/ www.perspectivespress.com downloads/Tools-for-working-with- kinship-caregivers.pdf Tapestry Books Training materials, handbooks, www.tapestrybooks.com assessment tools, links, and publications from the Casey National Center for Resource Family Support

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July 2010

Adoption Options

What’s Inside: There are many different types of adoption and choices to be made in adoption. Find information • Map of Adoption Options in this factsheet to help you understand the • Type of Adoption various options and determine the best route to • Domestic Adoption building your family through adoption. • Intercountry Adoption

Map of Adoption Options

Public Agency

Licensed Private Agency Adoption Domestic Adoption Independent Adoption

Facilitated/Unlicensed

Agency Adoption Type of Adoption

Hague Convention Country Adoption Intercountry Adoption Non-Hague Convention Country Adoption

This flowchart is a map of adoption options. many references to “your State” in this You can read straight through the factsheet factsheet. to learn about all of your options, learning Military families interested in adoption first about the different types of domestic and stationed outside their home State or adoption and then about intercountry overseas may want to read Information adoption, or you can click on any of the Gateway’s Military Families and Adoption: boxes in the flowchart to find out about that www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_milita.cfm specific option. Relatives interested in adopting a related The way you choose to adopt will depend infant or child may follow any of the four on what is important to your family, paths outlined here, depending on the including your feelings about contact with circumstances. Specific information about birth family members, your flexibility about adopting a related child can be found on the the characteristics of the child you wish to ACF website: adopt, your resources, and how long you are willing to wait for your child. http://tinyurl.com/23z3pmn Federal legislation sets the framework for adoption in the United States; States then pass laws to comply with Federal requirements. Within each State, adoption is regulated by State laws, so you will find

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likely that you will be able to arrange for some degree of contact between your Type of Adoption family and the child’s birth family after the adoption (referred to as “openness”), if you choose. Even if the adoption is not One of the first decisions many prospective “open” (i.e., there is no contact with the adoptive parents make is whether to adopt birth family), people adopted domestically a child from the United States or from may have an easier time locating their birth another country. Some of the considerations families or obtaining their genetic history if in deciding between domestic and they decide to search for that information intercountry adoption include the later in life. importance of having access to your child’s medical and genetic history and how much contact you might want with your child’s birth family, now or in the future. The Child Welfare Information Gateway Domestic Adoption publications Openness in Adoption: A Factsheet for Families (www.childwelfare. In domestic adoption, you may choose gov/pubs/f_openadopt.cfm) and to work with a public agency, a licensed Openness in Adoption: A Bulletin for private agency, an attorney (“independent Professionals (www.childwelfare.gov/ adoption”), or an adoption facilitator (if pubs/f_openadoptbulletin.cfm) offer allowed by laws in your State) or unlicensed additional information about potential agency. Public and licensed private agencies advantages and disadvantages of open are required to meet State standards and adoptions. have more oversight to ensure quality services. Unlicensed agencies and facilitators often do not have the same State oversight; For more information about domestic consequently, there may be more financial, adoption, visit the Information Gateway emotional, and legal risk for adoptive and web section on Adopting Infants birth families using unlicensed services. Domestically: www.childwelfare.gov/ Many public and private adoption agencies adoption/adoptive/domestic_adopt.cfm offer free orientation sessions that will allow you to gain an overview of their available Public Agency Adoption services prior to making any commitment to Public agencies mainly handle the adoption work with them. of children in the State foster care (child Whether you adopt an infant or an welfare) system. Children in foster care older child, you are likely to receive have been removed from their families for more extensive history and background a variety of reasons, including abuse or information about a child who lives in the neglect, and they may have experienced United States than one who lives in another trauma as a result. These children range in country. Domestic adoptions make it more age from infants to teens.

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There are many children in foster care his or her birth family. Sometimes a foster waiting for adoptive families. Children ages family can become a child’s permanent 8 and up, children of color, sibling groups, adoptive family, if the court decides and children with disabilities are especially adoption is in the child’s best interests. in need of adoptive families. Online In public agency adoptions, matches adoption exchanges provide photolistings are generally arranged by the agency, with pictures and brief descriptions of through a meeting of several social workers children in the foster care system across a and supervisors and/or by a placement State or region. committee, based on the needs of the child • See Information Gateway’s State Adoption and the ability of the family to meet those Photolisting Services Websites: www. needs. childwelfare.gov/pubs/reslist/rl_dsp_ For more information about public agency website.cfm?typeID=82&rate_chno=AZ- adoption, visit the Information Gateway 0005E web section on Adopting Children From • AdoptUsKids provides a national Foster Care: www.childwelfare.gov/ website featuring children available for adoption/adoptive/foster_care.cfm adoption in the United States as well as information and resources about Licensed Private Agency Adoption adopting a child from foster care: In a licensed agency adoption, the birth http://adoptuskids.org parents relinquish their parental rights to • Also, check Information Gateway’s list the agency, and adoptive parents then work of State Child Welfare Agency Websites with the agency to adopt. These agencies to find your local department of social are required to adhere to licensing and services to learn about children in your procedural standards. area who need homes: www.childwelfare. Many prospective parents work with gov/pubs/reslist/rl_dsp_website. licensed private agencies in order to adopt cfm?rs_ID=16&rate_chno=AZ-0004E healthy infants. Waiting times for infant By asking questions, observing interactions, adoptions vary tremendously and can be and coming to understand what is most as long as several years or more. In the important to your family, your social worker United States, agency criteria for prospective can work with you to determine what type adoptive parents are often more restrictive of child or children would benefit from your for infant adoptions than for adoptions family’s style of parenting and have their of older children, again because fewer needs met with your family’s particular infants are available. Many agencies allow strengths. birth parents to choose a prospective adoptive family for their child based on You may also want to find out about profiles, books, or videos that prospective becoming a foster or resource family, serving families create to share information about as a child’s foster family and working with themselves. Prospective parents may have the agency to support the child’s return to an opportunity to meet the birth parents

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face to face; however, social workers may timing of the birth parents’ consent and the make decisions about which families’ conditions and timing of the birth parents’ profiles are shared with expectant parents right to revoke that consent, there is always considering adoption, or agency staff may the possibility that birth parents will change make the match of a child and prospective their minds when the baby is born. The adoptive parent. In addition, agencies birth parents are the child’s legal parents may give preference to certain types of until they consent to the surrender of their individuals or couples (e.g., due to religious parental rights. Information Gateway’s affiliation or marital status). Consent to Adoption offers information on State laws regarding consent and revocation of consent: www.childwelfare.gov/ systemwide/laws_policies/statutes/consent. The National Foster Care & Adoption cfm Directory lists public and licensed private adoption agencies and State If you decide to choose independent Adoption Program Managers for every adoption, you will interact with the State and the District of Columbia, expectant parents or their attorney. Birth Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. parents typically provide a written consent Only licensed agencies are included. for the adoption that must be approved by the court. Attorneys who facilitate www.childwelfare.gov/nfcad independent adoptions must adhere to the standards of the American Bar Association. Some attorneys who specialize in adoption are members of the American Independent Adoption Academy of Adoption Attorneys (www. In an independent adoption, attorneys adoptionattorneys.org), a professional assist prospective parents with the adoption membership organization with standards of process, which usually involves the ethical practice. adoption of an infant. Families adopting Not all States allow independent adoptions. independently identify the expectant The following publications provide more parents (or pregnant woman) without an information: agency’s help. Each family’s situation is different; it is impossible to predict the • Who May Adopt, Be Adopted, or Place a length of time you may wait for a child. Child for Adoption Some adoptive parents and expectant www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_ mothers find each other and make a plan policies/statutes/parties.cfm within a week, while other adoptive parents • Online Resources for State Child Welfare search for years. Law and Policy Infants usually are placed with the adoptive www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_ parents directly from the hospital after policies/statutes/resources.pdf birth. While State laws differ about the

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• Use of Advertising and Facilitators in Intercountry Adoption Adoptive Placements Intercountry adoption differs in several www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_ significant ways from domestic adoption. policies/statutes/advertising.cfm Children eligible for intercountry adoption must have lost their birth parents to death or abandonment, or the birth parents must prove that they are incapable of caring Even when the birth mother and for the children. In some cases, children adoptive parents locate one another adopted through intercountry adoption independently, they may still take may have been raised in orphanages or advantage of services and/or may be institutional settings. required to have all or part of the There is generally less information about process approved by a licensed agency. a child’s birth and family history than in This is called “identified adoption.” The domestic adoption. If you or your child agency’s role is to conduct the home have questions about the child’s birth family study for the adoptive parents and later in life, finding birth family members or counsel the birth mother and father, information about them could be difficult, if available. depending on the country, their adoption laws and policies, and the agency with which you work. Children adopted from Facilitated/Unlicensed Agency another country, especially older children, Adoption will require sensitivity to their change in Adoptive placements by facilitators and culture, including (possibly) language, food, unlicensed agencies offer the least amount customs, societal expectations, etc. of supervision and oversight. A facilitator is The placement process for intercountry any person who links prospective adoptive adoption varies depending on the agency parents with expectant birth mothers for a you choose, the child’s country of origin, fee. Facilitators may or may not be regulated and whether or not the country is a party in their State and may have varying degrees to the Hague Convention. As a child of expertise in adoption practice. Families becomes available for adoption, he or she who work with facilitators often have little is matched by an adoption service provider recourse if the plan does not work out with prospective parents who can meet as they had hoped. Some States prohibit that child’s needs. Families often have the adoptions by paid facilitators. Check the opportunity to review whatever information adoption program or policy in your State. is available about a child before accepting For more information on facilitated a placement. However, in many cases very adoption, read Information Gateway’s little is known about the child’s medical or Use of Advertising and Facilitators in other history. Some pediatricians specialize Adoptive Placements: www.childwelfare. in helping parents evaluate information gov/systemwide/laws_policies/statutes/ found in intercountry adoption referrals. advertising.cfm

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See the American Academy of Pediatrics list decide early in the process whether they will of pediatricians with a special interest in adopt from a Hague Convention country or adoption: www.aap.org/sections/adoption/ a country that is not a party to the Hague SOAFCAdoptionDirectory2.pdf Convention, since many requirements will differ. Often, families need to travel to the child’s country of origin to pick up their child. Some countries require more than one trip. The State Department (http:// adoption.state.gov) provides the most To compare requirements, services, and comprehensive information regarding processes for Hague and non-Hague intercountry adoption, including the most country adoptions, read Information common countries of origin. Necessary Gateway’s Intercountry Adoption From forms and frequently asked questions Hague Convention and Non-Hague regarding intercountry adoption can be Convention Countries: www.childwelfare. accessed through the U.S. Citizenship and gov/pubs/factsheets/hague.cfm Immigration Services Adoption webpage (click on Adoption in the center of the The U.S. Department of State also offers page): www.uscis.gov a chart of comparisons: http://adoption. state.gov/pdf/Side_by_side_comparison. pdf

Information Gateway’s factsheet Intercountry Adoption: Where Do I Start? offers more detailed information on intercountry adoption: www. For more information about intercountry childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_inter/index.cfm adoption, visit the Information Gateway web section on Adopting Children From Another Country: www.childwelfare.gov/ adoption/adoptive/other_country.cfm Since the United States ratified the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Hague Convention Country Adoption Intercountry Adoption in April 2008, a Parents who adopt from a Hague number of requirements have changed for Convention country must use the services adoptions of children from countries that of a provider that is approved or accredited are also party to the Hague Convention. specifically to provide Hague Convention The Hague Convention was enacted to adoption services. Parents will need safeguard children and families involved to identify the desired country before in intercountry adoption. It includes obtaining a home study, and they will have requirements for adoption service providers to complete at least 10 hours of approved (agencies), home studies, parent training, training. Children adopted from Hague and more. Prospective parents who decide Convention countries must be determined to pursue an intercountry adoption need to to be “adoptable” by their country of origin

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and must meet the definition of a Hague Convention adoptee. Before entering the United States, the child must obtain an immigrant visa. To find out if the country you are considering adopting from is a party to the Hague Convention, visit the Department of State website for the list of about 75 countries: www.adoption.state.gov/hague/ overview/countries.html

Non-Hague Convention Country Adoption Parents adopting from a non-Hague country may obtain a home study before choosing the country from which they will adopt as long as the home study meets State and Federal requirements. The adoption provider (agency) must be licensed in their home State. Parents may or may not be required to complete training before adopting. The child identified for adoption must meet the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services definition of “orphan” and will need to obtain a visa before being allowed to enter the United States. Regardless of the type of adoption your family decides to pursue, if you are like most families, you may need to one day access services after adoption. For information on postadoption services, see Information Gateway’s Postadoption web section: www. childwelfare.gov/adoption/postadoption

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July 2010

The Adoption Home Study Process

The laws of every State and the District of Columbia require all prospective adoptive parents What’s Inside: (no matter how they intend to adopt) to participate • Elements of the home study process in a home study. This process has three purposes: • The home study report • Educate and prepare the adoptive family • Common concerns about the for adoption home study • Evaluate the fitness of the adoptive family

• Gather information about the prospective types of adoption (such as foster care parents that will help a social worker or intercountry), can be found on the connect the family with a child whose Information Gateway website: www. needs they can meet childwelfare.gov With accurate information about the process, prospective parents can face the Elements of the Home home study experience with confidence and the excitement that should accompany Study Process the prospect of welcoming a child into the family. It may be helpful to remember that There is no single format that adoption agencies are not looking for perfect parents. agencies use to conduct home studies. Rather, they are looking for a good match Many agencies include the following steps between a child’s needs and a family’s in their home study process, although the ability to meet those needs. specific details and order will vary. For more Specific home study requirements and information, talk with the agencies you processes vary greatly from agency to are considering. agency, State to State, and (in the case of intercountry adoption) by the child’s Orientation country of origin. They are also subject Many agencies offer an initial informational to change. This factsheet discusses the session or orientation that provides an common elements of the home study overview of the process and their agency. process and addresses some concerns These generally are free, do not carry any prospective adoptive parents may have obligation, and are a good way to find out about the process. about the agency, their process, the children available, and if the agency would be a good If you are just beginning your journey to fit for you and your family. adoption, you may find useful information in Child Welfare Information Gateway’s Adoption: Where Do I Start? www. Training childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_start.cfm Many agencies require trainings for prospective adoptive parents prior to or Information Gateway also offers the during the home study process. These National Foster Care & Adoption Directory, trainings help prospective parents better a searchable database listing public and understand the needs of children waiting licensed private agencies, attorney referral for families, adoption issues, and agency services, support groups, State adoption requirements. They can help families decide specialists, and more, for each State, what type of child or children they could Territory, and the District of Columbia: parent most effectively. www.childwelfare.gov/nfcad These resources, as well as factsheets with specific information about various

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Interviews home should be free from hazards and offer a child-friendly environment for the age You will probably be interviewed several range for which you are being licensed. For times by a social worker. These interviews example, poisons and household cleaners help you develop a relationship with your should be in cupboards with childproof social worker that will enable him or her locks, window drape cords should not hang to better understand your family and within reach, firearms should be inaccessible assist you with an appropriate placement. to children, etc. Some States require an You will discuss the topics to be covered inspection from local health and fire in the home study report (see below). departments in addition to the visit by the You will likely be asked to give examples social worker. of your experiences with children, your important relationships, your approach to Generally, agencies will require the parenting, and how you handle stress and social worker to view all areas of the past experiences of crisis or loss, including house or apartment, including where the discussions about infertility, which is a topic children will sleep, the basement, and of concern for many adoptive families. You the backyard. He or she will be looking and your social worker will discuss what for how you plan to accommodate a new age of child would best fit in your family, family member (or members, if you are whether a sibling group would work well, planning to adopt a sibling group). Social and other important characteristics you workers are not typically inspecting your would be willing to accept in a child. Again, housekeeping standards. A certain level of this should be both a self-reflective process order is necessary, but some family clutter and a time to educate yourself about issues is expected. A comfortable, child-friendly with which you may not yet be familiar. environment is what is being sought. With couples, some agency workers conduct all of the interviews with both prospective parents together. Others will conduct both joint and individual interviews. If families have adult children living outside the home, they also may be interviewed during this process. It is important to be honest with the social worker and yourself about your own strengths and limitations.

Home Visit Home visits primarily serve to ensure that your home offers a safe environment for a child and meets State licensing standards (e.g., working smoke alarms, safe storage of firearms, safe water, pools covered/fenced, and adequate space for each child). Your

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and mentally able to handle the care of a child. If you have a medical condition that is If you are planning to adopt a child under control (for instance, high blood from another country (intercountry pressure or diabetes that is controlled by diet adoption), you will need to know and medication), you may still be approved whether the country from which as an adoptive family. A serious health you plan to adopt is a party to the problem that affects life expectancy may Hague Convention on Protection of prevent approval. If your family has sought Children and Co-operation in Respect counseling or treatment for a mental health of Intercountry Adoption. If it is, your condition in the past, you may be asked to home study will be subject to Hague provide information or reports from those Convention requirements. These visits. Many agencies view seeking help as requirements mandate which agencies a sign of strength; the fact that your family or service providers may conduct your obtained such help should not, in and of home study, what statements must be itself, preclude you from adopting. However, included about your parent training each family’s situation is unique, so check and eligibility, and how the home with the agencies or social workers you are study must be submitted to the Central considering if you have concerns. Authority for adoption in the country from which you plan to adopt. Income Statements • Find a list of countries that are parties You do not have to be rich to adopt. You do to the Hague Convention on the U.S. have to show you can manage your finances Department of State website: www. responsibly and adequately. Some countries adoption.state.gov/hague/overview/ may have specific income requirements for countries.html intercountry adoption. Usually, prospective • Read Information Gateway’s factsheet parents are asked to verify their income by Intercountry Adoption From Hague providing copies of paycheck stubs, W-4 Convention and Non-Hague Convention forms, or income tax forms. Many agencies Countries: www.childwelfare.gov/ also ask about savings, insurance policies pubs/factsheets/hague.cfm (including health coverage for the adopted child)1, investments, and debts.

1 The booklet Protections for Newborns, Adopted Children, Health Statements and New Parents from the Employee Benefits Security Most agencies require prospective adoptive Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, notes that parents parents to have a recent physical exam and should enroll their child in their insurance policy within 30 days of their placement or adoption to ensure coverage (www.dol. a statement from a physician confirming gov/ebsa/pdf/newborns.pdf). The Employee Benefits Security that they are essentially healthy, have a Administration (www.dol.gov/ebsa/aboutebsa) has oversight normal life expectancy, and are physically over employer-offered insurance benefits and may be able to answer families’ questions.

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Background Checks child for adoption, to help them choose an adoptive family. You may also be asked All States require criminal and child abuse to prepare a similar album for children, if record checks for adoptive and foster parent you are considering adopting children older applicants. In many States, local, State, and than infants. Federal clearances are required. Fingerprints may be taken as well. While writing about yourself may seem difficult, the exercise is intended to provide Public and private agencies must comply information about you to the agency, as with State and Federal laws and policies well as to help you explore issues related regarding licensing requirements and how to parenting and adoption. Some agencies the findings of background checks affect have workers available to assist you with eligibility for adoptive parents. However, the writing. Most have a set of questions do not hesitate to talk to social workers and to guide you through writing your agencies you are considering about specific autobiography. situations that might disqualify you from adopting. Agencies will consider your past experiences as well as how you dealt with References them, what you’ve learned from them, The agency will probably ask you for names, and how you would use that knowledge in addresses, and telephone numbers of three parenting a child. Some agencies may be or four people who will serve as references able to work with your family, depending for you. References help the social worker on the specific incident and its resolution. If form a more complete picture of your family the social worker finds you to be deceptive and support network. or dishonest, however, or if the documents If possible, references should be people collected during the home study process who have known you for years, who have expose inconsistencies, the agency may not seen you in many situations, and who have approve your home study. visited your home and know of your interest in and involvement with children. Most Autobiographical Statement agencies require that references be people Many adoption agencies ask who are not related to you. Good choices prospective adoptive parents to write an might include close friends, an employer, autobiographical statement or story. This is, a former teacher, a coworker, a neighbor, essentially, the story of your life. It helps the or your pastor, minister, rabbi, or leader of social worker understand your family better your faith community (if applicable). and assists him or her in writing the home Approval would rarely be denied on the study report (see below). If you are working grounds of a single negative reference. with an agency that practices openness in However, if it were one of several negative adoption, you also may be asked to write a factors, or if several references were letter or create an album or scrapbook about negative, the agency might be unable to your family to be shared with expectant approve the adoption. parents who are considering placing their

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• Daily life: routines, such as a typical weekday or weekend, plans for child care The Home Study Report (if applicants work outside the home), hobbies, and interests Typically, the above steps conclude with • Parenting: applicants’ past experiences the writing of a home study report that with children (for example, their own, reflects the social worker’s findings. Home relatives’ children, neighbors, volunteer study reports often are used to introduce work, babysitting, teaching, or coaching), your family to other agencies or adoption in addition to their plans regarding exchanges (services that list children waiting discipline and other parenting issues for families) to assist in matching your • Neighborhood: descriptions of the family with a waiting child. applicants’ neighborhood, including In addition to the above-mentioned health safety and proximity to community and income statements, background checks, resources and references, home study reports also • Religion/belief system: information include the following types of information: about the applicants’ religion, level of • Family background: descriptions of the religious practice (if applicable), and the applicants’ childhoods, how they were kind of religious upbringing, if any, they parented, past and current relationships plan to provide for the child with parents and siblings, key events and • Feelings about/readiness for adoption: losses and what was learned from them There may be a section on specific • Education/employment: applicants’ adoption issues, including why the current educational levels, satisfaction applicants want to adopt, feelings about with their educational achievements, any infertility (if this is an issue), what kind plans to further their education, as well as of child they might best parent and their employment status, history, plans, why, and how they plan to talk to their and satisfaction with their current jobs children about adoption issues. There will likely be questions about how the • Relationships: If applicants are a applicants feel about birth families and couple, the report may cover their the level of openness with the birth history together as well as their current family that would work best, depending relationship (for example, how they make on the type of adoption. (Note: It is decisions, solve problems, communicate, very typical for families’ feelings about and show affection). Single applicants openness to change throughout the will be asked about their social life and home study process, as they learn more how they anticipate integrating a child and become more comfortable with the into it, as well as about their network of issues involved.) For more information, relatives and friends. read Information Gateway’s Openness in Adoption: A Factsheet for Families: www. childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_openadopt.cfm

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• Approval/recommendation: The home study report will conclude with Common Concerns a summary and the social worker’s recommendation. This often includes About the Home Study the age range and number of children for which the family is recommended. How Long Will the Home Study Take?

Technology is changing how some The time it takes to conduct the home study agencies conduct home studies. Many will vary from agency to agency, depending records are now kept electronically. on factors such as how many social workers Families may choose to create an are assigned to conduct home studies, what electronic album or Facebook page to other duties they have, how many other share with potential birth parents in an people applied to the agency at the same infant adoption or to introduce their time, and when any required trainings family to children or youth waiting for are offered. On average, a home study families in the foster care system. process takes 3 to 6 months to complete. The time will depend on you as well. You can help speed the process by filling out your paperwork, scheduling your medical Applicants also will be asked to provide appointments, and gathering the required copies of birth certificates, marriage licenses documents without delay. or certificates, and divorce decrees, if applicable. Some agencies share the home How Much Does a Home Study study with prospective parents; others do Cost? not. You may want to ask the agency about the confidentiality of the home study report The cost of the home study depends on and how extensively your information will the kind of adoption you are pursuing. be shared. Agency policies vary greatly, Agencies conducting domestic adoptions depending on the type of agency and type of children from foster care (such as your of adoption. In many cases, the information local department of social services) may not will be shared with other agencies to help charge a fee for the home study. If these unite your family with the child you are agencies do charge a fee, they often are best able to parent. In some cases, the modest ($300 to $500), and once you adopt information may be shared with birth a child from foster care the fee is usually parents or others. reimbursed. A private agency or certified social worker in private practice might charge from $1,000 to $3,000 for the home study. Other services (such as an application fee and preplacement services) may be included

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in this fee. Be sure to discuss any fees Within State guidelines, many agencies thoroughly and ask for this information in are looking for ways to rule families in writing to avoid any misunderstandings. rather than rule them out, in order to meet the needs of children in the U.S. foster care system waiting for adoptive families. Many States also have their policies posted For more information about costs of online. Information Gateway’s State Child adoption and resources to help defray Welfare Agency Websites has links to each those costs, see the Adoption Expenses State’s online adoption information: www. section of the Information Gateway childwelfare.gov/pubs/reslist/rl_dsp_website. website: cfm?rs_ID=16&rate_chno=AZ-0004E www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/ How Will the Children in Our Family adoptive/expenses.cfm Be Involved in the Home Study? Your children (whether they joined your family through birth, foster care, adoption, What Might Disqualify Our Family or marriage) will be included in the home From Adopting? study in some way. Older children may be invited to participate in age-appropriate Aside from a criminal record or overriding groups during one or more of the safety concerns that would preclude educational sessions. They also might be agencies from approving your home study, asked to write a statement describing their the decision to qualify or disqualify a family feelings and preferences about having a new is made on a case-by-case basis. Remember, brother or sister. agencies are not looking for perfect families. The home study process is a way for a social The social worker will likely want to know worker to learn more about your real how the children do in school, what their family, as a potential home for real children. interests and hobbies are, what their friends It is also an opportunity for you to explore are like, and how their behavior is rewarded adoption issues and what types of children or disciplined. However, the emphasis will you can best parent, with the social more likely be on how the children see a worker’s help. new sibling (or siblings) fitting into the family and whether they are prepared to Who may adopt varies from agency to share your time and attention. Children’s agency, State to State, and by the child’s input is usually quite important in the country of origin. Adoptions in the United overall assessment of a family’s readiness States are governed by Federal, State, and to adopt a child. The social worker will local laws, regulations, and policies. Child want to be sure that an adopted child or Welfare Information Gateway has compiled children will be welcomed and loved by States’ laws regarding who may adopt all family members. in Who May Adopt, Be Adopted, or Place a Child for Adoption? www.childwelfare.gov/ systemwide/laws_policies/statutes/parties. cfm

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Conclusion Thousands of children in the U.S. foster care system are waiting for families. Although the adoption home study The AdoptUsKids website (www. process may seem invasive or lengthy, it adoptuskids.org) provides a national is conducted to help you decide whether photolisting of children in foster adoption is right for your family, to prepare care (En Español: www.adopte1.org). your family for adoption, and to help your Information Gateway offers a complete family determine the type of child you listing of State Child Welfare Agency could best parent. The process also serves Websites: http://www.childwelfare. to ensure that children are matched with gov/pubs/reslist/rl_dsp_website. families who can meet their needs in loving, cfm?rs_ID=16&rate_chno=AZ-0004E caring, healthy, and safe environments so that there is a good match between the child’s needs and the family’s capacity. Flexibility and a sense of humor are vital characteristics when raising children, and they can be useful during the home study process as well. With perseverance and a positive outlook, you will be able to team with the social worker to make this a valuable learning experience—one that will help you do the best possible job in parenting the child who will eventually join your family.

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