The Adoption Home Study: Your First Step to Welcoming a Child Home
As a licensed agency, we provide full adoption home study services to Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Texas residents adopting domestically or internationally. Additionally, Gladney Center for Adoption is a Hague-accredited agency and can write international home studies for both Hague and non-Hague countries.
Gladney Center for Adoption provides home-study-only services, so you do not have to be a placement client to be eligible for our home study services.
The adoption journey is filled with excitement, anticipation, and questions. The home study is one of the first steps toward adoption. Most prospective adoptive parents have many questions at the beginning of the process, and Gladney is here to help educate and support you during the process.
At Gladney, we want to assure you that the home study is a collaborative process designed to help you prepare for the unique joys and challenges of adoption. It’s a chance for us to get to know you, and for you to learn more about adoption and the resources available. Our goal is to ensure that every child is placed in a safe, caring, and supportive home.
What is a Home Study?
A home study is a comprehensive overview of your life, your family, and your home environment. It is a mandatory part of the adoption process in every state. The home study is conducted by a home study caseworker who will meet with you several times to gather information, answer your questions, prepare for parenthood, and educate you on parenting through adoption.
WHY IS A HOME STUDY NECESSARY?
The home study serves three main purposes:
to educate
and prepare
The home study process is a valuable learning experience. It will give you a deeper understanding of adoption and help you prepare for the unique aspects of parenting an adopted child.
To Ensure the Safety and
Well-being of Children
Our primary commitment is to the children we serve. The home study helps us ensure that each child is placed in a safe, nurturing, and prepared family.
to help your agency make
the best possible match
Your agency can help you find the child who will thrive in your home.
The Home Study Process: A Step-by-Step Guide
The home study process at Gladney is designed to be as smooth and supportive as possible. Here’s what you can expect:
1. Application
The first step is to complete our online application and submit the application fee.
2. Initial Paperwork
Once we receive your application, a portal will be set up to use while gathering the initial paperwork for the home study. This will include contracts, background check forms, medical forms, and other important documents. A dedicated Home Study Program Assistant will guide you through the document collection.
3. Meeting Your Home Study caseworker
You will be assigned a Home Study caseworker who will work with you during the home study process. You will have three to four meetings with your caseworker in your home.
4. interviews
During your meetings, your caseworker will interview all members of your household. These interviews are a chance for us to get to know you on a personal level. We will talk about your background, discuss training and adoption-related topics, your relationship, your parenting philosophies, and your hopes for the future.
5. home inspection
Your caseworker will conduct a safety inspection to ensure your home is a safe and suitable environment for a child. We are not looking for a perfect home, but rather a clean, safe, and loving one.
6. training
You will be required to complete adoption training. This training will cover a variety of topics, including the challenges of adoption, the needs of adopted children, helping children understand adoption, and the resources available to you in the local area.
7. the home study report
After your interviews and home visit, your social worker will write a comprehensive report. This report will include information about your family, your home, and your readiness to adopt. You will have the opportunity to review the report before it is finalized.
8. finalization
Once the report is complete and approved, your home study is finalized, and you are officially ready to be matched with a child through your placement agency.
PREPARING FOR A SUCCESSFUL HOME STUDY
Here are a few tips to help you prepare for a smooth and successful home study:
Be Honest and Open
The home study is a personal process, and it’s important to be honest and open with your social worker. We are here to support you, and transparency is necessary to ensure we cover all topics that relate to adoption.
gather your documents
You will need to provide a variety of documents, including birth certificates, marriage licenses, financial statements, and medical records. Gathering these documents in advance can help expedite the process.
Think About Your Parenting Style
Take some time to think about your parenting philosophy and how you will handle the unique challenges of parenting an adopted child.
Prepare Your Home
We need to make sure your home is clean, safe, and child-proof. Please take time to prepare for the home safety check. Your home study caseworker will let you know what to expect. If you are in the middle of moving, foresee an upcoming move, or are renovating, please let your program assistant or home study caseworker know this in advance.
ask questions
The home study is a two-way street. We encourage you to ask questions and to share any concerns you may have.
after the home study
Once your home study is approved, you will be ready to move on to the next step in your adoption journey: being matched with a child. After a child is placed in your home, your social worker will conduct several post-placement visits to ensure that you and your child are adjusting well.
after the home study
Once your home study is approved, you will be ready to move on to the next step in your adoption journey: being matched with a child. After a child is placed in your home, your social worker will conduct several post-placement visits to ensure that you and your child are adjusting well.
after the home study
Once your home study is approved, you will be ready to move on to the next step in your adoption journey: being matched with a child. After a child is placed in your home, your social worker will conduct several post-placement visits to ensure that you and your child are adjusting well.
GET STARTED WITH GLADNEY TODAY
The home study is the first step in the adoption process. If you are ready to take the first step towards building your family through adoption, we invite you to contact us today. Our compassionate and experienced staff is here to answer your questions and to guide you through every step of the process.
faq
No matter what type of adoption you hope to complete (domestic, international, step-parent, etc.), the home study process has three purposes.
- To educate and prepare a prospective adoptive family for adoption. This education and preparation will be tailored to your family’s needs based on the type of adoption you are hoping to complete and the type of child you wish to be approved to adopt. The home study will also cover the requirements of your placing agency and placing country.
- To evaluate the suitability of the prospective adoptive family. This is a time for the family and the social worker together to assess the readiness and appropriateness of a family to adopt.
- Finally, the home study process gathers information about a family to determine what type of child would be appropriate for the adoptive family. The home study approval will specify the gender, age, race/ethnicity, and potential special need parameters that are identified as appropriate for the family based on their experience, abilities, and resources. The social worker will look for a good match between a child’s needs and a family’s ability to meet those needs.
Once the home study is completed and approved, a family can prepare a profile for presentation to birth parents (domestic) or prepare a dossier for presentation to an international adoption entity. Gladney has accredited placement programs, including Bulgaria, China, Colombia, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Hong Kong, India, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
If you are interested in having Gladney complete your adoption home study, you can start the application here.
- Submit the Home Study Application online and pay the application fee via PayPal. Alternatively, print the application and send it with a check for the application fee to the Gladney office in Delaware at 1102 Society Drive, Claymont, DE 19703.
- Once payment is received, you will receive our home study checklist via email. Complete and return the initial contracts by downloading the documents, signing them, and then uploading them back into our system. Once the contracts are received, you will receive the next set of documents to complete, including autobiography questionnaires and other pertinent documents. You will work with a program assistant during this time.
- Once you have completed your documents, a Home Study Case Worker, or Home Study Social Worker, will contact you to set up your first Meeting. Payment for the home study is due before the first meeting. Three to four face-to-face meetings are required, with at least one in your home. All household members must be seen and interviewed on at least one occasion.
- During the first appointment, your home study case worker/social worker will answer any questions, review the paperwork requirements with you and possibly complete your home inspection.
- Once you have completed your adoption training, your social worker will schedule the remaining meetings. The last document should be completed after all the required paperwork has been submitted.
- During the visits, expect to answer questions about your health, family history, family finances, experience with children, employment, social support, and adoption plans.
- The assigned worker will review all adoption training and ensure an understanding of all required topics. Your worker is there to educate and support you and will answer any questions you have.
- The home study report will be written, go through Gladney’s internal review process, and then sent to you and any partnering agency for review.
- The home study will be finalized and notarized after the review and any necessary changes.
- In most cases, the county and/or state require post-adoption or post-placement reports after the child arrives home. Fees for post-placement services are due before the home study report is released. Please discuss your post-adoption reporting schedule with your home study case worker or social worker.
Gladney staff are available to assist you with each step. In addition to your assigned social worker, Gladney has additional clinical staff that can answer your questions anytime.
Families in all states can contact Kristen Slomka, Home Study Supervisor, at 817-682-8244 or Kristen.Slomka@Gladney.org.
For Illinois, Misty Lucas, Executive Director of Illinois and Missouri and Latin America Programs Director, at 217-498-9700 or Misty.Lucas@Gladney.org.
Submit your home study application here.
Gladney Center for Adoption also offers adoption home study updates. A home study update may be required if your adoption is not yet complete and your home study has expired, or if you need to renew your USCIS approval, or if you have had a change in circumstances such as moving or change of household composition, to name a few reasons. This process is typically faster and less expensive than a full adoption home study.
Suppose you do not live in Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, or Texas. In that case, you will need a Home Study provider licensed in your state of residence. Gladney, as your Primary Provider, must approve of your selected home study provider before you initiate the home study.
It is strongly suggested that your home study provider have Hague or COA accreditation. Gladney Center for Adoption does require Hague or COA accreditation for any supervised providers completing post-placement reporting. All home study reports must be completed by non-profit, Hague, or COA-accredited agencies and by agency employees, not contract workers.
Home studies cannot be accepted from independent social workers or for-profit agencies.
Before you continue, Gladney must approve of your selected home study provider. Your home study agency must complete the following forms to receive Gladney’s approval. Home study agencies working with families pursuing adoption from Colombia should send all documents to Misty.Lucas@Gladney.org. Home Study agencies working with families pursuing adoption from all other programs should send all documents to Kristen.Slomka@Gladney.org.
To find an already approved Supervised Provider for Gladney, please review our listing here: Supervised Providers List.
If you do not see an agency listed in your state, or would prefer to use another partner, please contact us immediately for suggestions. You may also check the list provided by the Department of State.
Remember, all home study providers must be pre-approved by Gladney before you initiate the home study process.
Your home study provider must be the same agency who will complete your post-placement or post-adoption reports. If your family relocates to a new state after the home study is completed, you must contract with a Hague accredited agency in your new state of residence to complete the required reports.