An adoption agency is instrumental in providing information and resources for the adoption process. They offer many different services, one very important service is the home study. A social worker will typically be contracted by the adoption agency. During the home study visit, the social worker will ask many questions about your finances, family and future plans. All of the home study findings are provided to the adoption agency and used to hep determine the viability of the adoptive parents.
The worker will ask about criminal history. If you have committed a felony, you probably won't be eligible to adopt. But, past criminal history will not necessarily make you ineligible depending on your agency, the type of offense, and the length of time since the offense. The worker will ask about your fertility. If you are adopting internationally, it may be a requirement that you are infertile, since some countries require it. If you are adopting domestically, it will depend upon the agency as to whether it's a requirement. If you are infertile, the worker will want to discuss how you have dealt with it, since having this resolved is important before bringing a child into the home.
The worker will also ask about your financial and living situation. You don't have to be wealthy to adopt, the agency just wants to make sure you have sufficient resources to care for a child. You also don't have to own a home to adopt, but your home or apartment must be able to accommodate the child. The worker will also want to see that you have thought about the child's educational and recreational needs. Some agencies that are affiliated with a particular religion may also require you to be a church member.
Finally, the worker will discuss with you what characteristics you would like in a child. If you have to many requirements here, it may be a sign that you have unrealistic expectations. On the other hand, you need to be honest in what you can accept. Some people are open to adopting a child with special needs, others are not. If you are not, don't say that you are. The child that comes into your home needs to be accepted for who he/she is.
The key to the home study is to be as open and honest as you can. Now is the time for the worker to see if you are ready to adopt, and she can't properly evaluate this if you are hiding information or your feelings. Additionally, it is possible that she will find the truth from another source (like in a criminal background check). It's better she hear from you, so she can see if you are ready and if you meet the guidelines. An adoption agency that gets information from another source may deny you because they can't be sure you were truthful in other areas.
Understanding the home study process before contracting an adoption agency can help ease the whole process. Some have remarked that by knowing that some of the more personal questions asked by the social worker are standard and necessary to ensure the adopted child is placed in a safe environment has helped maintain a cordial relationship between the adoptive parents and the findadoptionagencies.com/articles adoption agency
Loman is a content advisor and a frequent contributor for AdoptionAgencynews.com Find more about findadoptionagencies.com adoption services at our sister website FindAdoptionAgencies.com
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