In my last post, I started offering tips on things that you should do for your homestdy. Here are a few more things on my homestudy "to do" list.

- Do put some thought into some of the questions you may be asked and how you will answer. Role playing a few questions with your spouse is not a bad idea either. While a lot of the questions are not "hard", it can be challenging to put your thoughts into words. Some examples are, "Why do you want to adopt?" "What do you admire most about your spouse?" "What are some of the strengths of your marriage?" "What are some of the weaknesses of your marriage?" "What do you find the most challenging about parenting?""How have you prepared to be a transracial adoptive parent?" "How do you plan to help your child stay connected to his birth culture?"

- Do talk to your placing agency (if is is different than your homestudy agency) about any specific things that have to be included in the homestudy for the program you plan to adopt through, as well as anything that should not be mentioned. Getting this information before you meet with your social worker will help get the homestudy done right the first time, without needing revisions. Also find out who/where the homestudy should be sent to once it is complete.

- Do "stretch" the parameters of the child recommendation you want. This is one of my biggest pieces of advice. If you are going into your adoption wanting an infant girl, and there is even a 1% chance that you would accept a toddler, then ask to be approved for a child between the ages of 0 and 3 years. If you are planning on adopting only one child, but there is even a small chance that you would be open to two children, ask to be approved for two. I know a lot of people who have changed their minds about what they were open to once they got into the process, and it is much easier (and cheaper) to not have to update your homestudy if you change your mind about something.

- Do be prepared to advocate for your family and your choices. Some social workers are not fond of approving situations that are out of the norm. If your family has decided that you want to disrupt birth order, adopt a special needs child, adopt a child the same age as a child you already have (artificial twinning), adopt two unrelated children or any other "unconventional" situation, do your research and be ready to show your social worker that you are prepared. If a social worker has doubts, than it is up to you to advocate for your family and show why it is a good idea and how you are prepared for the possible challenges.

Those are my "homestudy do's". If you have a piece of advice for someone going through the homestudy process, leave a comment. :)



For more information on homestudies, you can read this post, titled “Starting Your Homestudy”, or this post, titled “How to Choose a Homestudy Agency”.


You can also read “The Adoption Homestudy” by Adoption.com, which gives lots of great information.