The homestudy of course requires information about you and your family. It is normal to feel as though this is an intrusion. Don't Panic You will talk about where you live, your marriage and what you like to do, finances, health issues (if any), and you will have to have three people talk about why they think you would make a good parent. You will be asked many times over the process of adoption why you want to adopt. There are no right or wrong answers but it is not too early to look long and hard at this question and decide how you want to answer it. An excellent resource for examining your motivation and preparation is a book called With Eyes Wide Open (available through Tapestry Books)
Much of the information comes from your "autobiography". Every social worker has a different way of gathering this information. I have chosen to have people answer a series of questions. This is an opportunity to further consolidate your decision to adopt and your answers make it easier to write a homestudy report and thus hopefully faster.
The questions that I use are as follow:
Much of this material is for my use only. I am particularly interested in how you have grown from your experiences and your motivations for adoption. I use this material in preparing the homestudy as it supports the recommendation.1. Describe your family of origin.
2. Describe your childhood.
3. Talk about your education and work.
4. Talk about your marriage(s).
5. Talk about your children (if any).
6. Why do you want to adopt?
7. What do you believe you have to offer a child?
8. What preparations have you made to adopt (please include a discussion of your views on discipline)?
9. Why have you chosen the country that you have chosen (if adopting internationally)?
10. What do you like to do for enjoyment (alone and together)?
11. Describe any special requests if any (e.g. age, gender, race)
12. How do you plan to address any cultural or racial issues with family and community?
13. How you plan to keep your new child connected with the culture that they were born into?
14. If you have had any problems with drugs or alcohol please describe in detail including any treatment. (this may not be disqualifying but needs to be talked about)
15. If you have ever been arrested please give full details including the outcome and your compliance with any court expectations (this may not be disqualifying but must be talked about in the homestudy).
16. Describe your views of parenting and discipline.
Your doctor will need to provide information about your health status. I request that you provide a photocopy of the document that your doctor completes for your dossier (if you are adopting internationally). For domestic adoption a letter stating your health and that you are free from communicable diseases and are mentally and physically healthy to parent a child will do. If your doctor has information about any infertility problems that also should be included.I require a financial statement. Since each country program has its own format I ask for a copy of the statement that is included in your dossier. This is also a good time to look at your health insurance, life insurance and any will or guardianship arrangements that you will be making. These items will be discussed in the homestudy. I do not have any set income limits, however, for international adoption the Immigration and Naturalization Service is required by law to determine you income level and certify that it is 125% of the poverty level for your family.
I assume that the people you select for your references will give you a good recommendation. I will accept a letter from a family member. I try to use at least several of the comments in the letters in the homestudy.
When all the information is in I schedule a home visit.