Common Misconceptions about the Adoption Home Study:
Home Study Checklist
The following is an excerpt from 1800homestudy.com in regards to “common misconceptions” about the adoption home study process. I will continue to blog about various related adoption home study topics and why certain things are done in the home study process. For starters, take a look at this. If you are thinking about starting the process, maybe this will ease some of your tension.
The night before the in-home visit of your adoption home study, you and your spouse collapse onto the living room sofa after performing the final walk-through of your immaculate home.
“We are finally done,” your spouse says. “Let’s run through the home study checklist, one more time, just to be sure.”
“Alright,” you say as you exhaustively open your eyes. “Sparkling sinks and toilets? Check. Childproof locks on all cabinets, drawers and windows? Check. Padding on each ledge, counter and step? Check. Finished baby’s room complete with a new crib? Check. Well Honey, I think we finally did it.”
“…Wait,” your spouse says after frantically sitting up. “We aren’t done yet. We forgot to organize our sock drawer!”
As much as this scenario reads like a parody, it properly demonstrates the emotions adoptive families often experience prior to the home inspection stage of the adoption home study.
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The home study is one of the most crucial stages of the adoption process, and by inspecting the home, interviewing the family, running criminal background checks, and collecting medical and financial documents, the child-placing agency is ensured that both the family and the home are ready for an addition to the family.
Because of the home study’s inherent invasiveness and its importance to the adoption plan, the family tends to believe that the home study social worker wants to find a problem with their home. These feelings are natural, but unwarranted, says Angela, an adoptive mother who experienced those same emotions.
“Even though it feels that they are looking for something you did wrong or it feels kind of invasive, the social workers are on your team, they want you to succeed, and they want to find happy, healthy homes for babies who need to be adopted,” Angela says.
There are several reasons adoptive families become nervous during this time, but just like Angela, every adoptive family gets through the home study wondering why they worried about it in the first place.”
For a full link click: http://www.1-800-homestudy.com/home_study/article_view/article_id/3847
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