A Licensed Child Placing Agency & Home Study Provider

The Adoption & Family Support Center, LLC, 709 Hills Blvd., Port Orange, Florida  32127

Toll Free: 866-221-6562 Main Number: 386-760-5804

LOST TIME AND MONEY

The Importance of being Home Study Ready

The family got the phone call they had hoped to receive!!! 

Several months earlier they were working with birth parents who wanted to place their child with them.  They began their home study process to become qualified for the placement and were close to completion.  They were so excited to think that in just a couple of months they would be the parents of this little baby.  They felt very strongly that this baby was meant to be theirs and the birth parents agreed.  The birth parents were from out of state, but had come to Florida to place this child with them.  The adoptive parents were providing the birth parents with housing and basic living expenses.  The relationship between the adoptive and birth parents seemed to going well.

Suddenly without warning, the birth parents left and returned to their home state.  They were promised help from relatives and their church and changed and had decided to raise the child.  The prospective parents were devastated, their hopes and dreams of a child ripped away from them in a flash.  They had been so sure that this child was the one for their family and now they were blind-sided by the fact it may not happen.  They pulled back to grieve.  Their whole world stopped and they did not finish their home study.  They learned that the child was born and was healthy.  Their emotions were mixed – they were glad the child was well, but their hopes of adopting this particular child were dashed.

Then today the phone call came – the child had been taken into foster care.  Their hopes of adopting this child were renewed.  They were ready to jump in the car and go rescue the child immediately.  They called their home study provider to ask what their next move should be and how they could go about getting the child.

They learned when a home study is completed it is good for one year from the date of completion.  However, their home study was never completed and they were not, as yet, approved for a placement.  In addition, because they never completed the home study, there were certain aspects that would need to be updated before it could be completed and they could be approved.  Because of the steps to be done, it would be several weeks before their home study would be completed and they could not be considered for placement of the child without a finalized home study.  It would also cost them additional money to update the needed components.

At Adoption & Family Support Center, we realize that unpredictable circumstances arise that can change the direction of your lives after beginning the home study process. Obvious examples would be becoming pregnant, a death of a close family member, a loved one facing a serious illness who will need your help and attention.  These and other reasons may cause you to change your adoption plans or put them on hold. 

Putting your adoption plans on hold is reasonable in these circumstances.  But we cannot stress enough the importance of completing your home study process. Your home study fees are usually non-refundable and you do not have a home study until all portions are completed and the report is signed by the social worker.  After that, the home study can be updated in a year for a small fee and be good for another year. 

The "in process" update of an unfinished home study is more time consuming.  Background clearances, physicals, references, financial & employment information, and more can become outdated and unusable.  You lose valuable time and money bringing the required information current.   If too much time elapses between beginning the home study process and finishing it, you risk having to begin the process over again, pay for a whole new home study or having to use a new home study provider.  In addition to the time and financial losses, an "incomplete" home study from your past may negatively impact your ability to adopt in the future, especially if you plan to adopt internationally. 

Adoption & Family Support Center is sensitive to the ever-changing circumstances of our clients.  Regardless of what you are facing, we strongly urge you to complete a home study once it's begun.  You never know when "the call" could come in and you want to be prepared once you have committed to this process.

Information contained on this site is not intended to be legal advice.  We suggest calling an attorney to obtain legal counsel.