After we submitted our preliminary application and received the thumbs-up that we were accepted into our agency’s Waiting Child Program, the first bit of reality hit home– the big “H-word.” While the home study process really varies depending on which agency you use, the primary goal is the same– to evaluate a prospective family to make sure they are emotionally stable, to understand motivations for adoption, and to provide education in parenting and adoption-specific topics.

I’m thrilled to say that we just completed our home study, and that it was a painless and enriching experience. When we were first assigned our caseworker in early June, we were told it would take a few months, and they were spot on. We had several meetings with our caseworker, both as a couple and individually, where we had the opportunity to share about our childhoods, aspirations as a family and as individuals, and were candid about our worries and anxieties about adoption.

Part of the requirements for international adoption through countries in the Hague Convention also include a certain number of credit-hours of education in relevant topics, which we completed over a series of weeks.

High-tech homestudy training included lectures, case studies, and lots of quizzes.

We filled out stacks of paperwork and answered many of the same questions again and again. Although sometimes it felt as though we were repeating ourselves (which we never  do!), the whole point of the home study is for an agency to be able to affirm that we are who we say we are, that we don’t pose a danger to children, and that our intentions are honorable.

The grand finale of the home study, is the home visit.  Our assigned social worker visited our home for the final session of discussion and paperwork in late July. She toured our home while we pointed out how we’d be childproofing, and ensured that we’d have a safe space for a child.  I’ve seen a lot of raised eyebrows when I’ve explained the home study process or described the home visit and safety inspection, but frankly– it’s all for the safety and security of the children.  I’ll admit that I was a decluttering and cleaning banshee even though our caseworker ensured us that the approval was about the safety of our home, and not the cleanliness.  I may or may not have dusted our mailbox the morning of the visit, but somehow I don’t think that swayed our evaluation.

Now that the home study is being finalized, and our state background checks have come back clear, we move on to yet more paperwork at the state and federal level. Wish us luck!