Beginning an international adoption can feel exciting, overwhelming, and sometimes a little intimidating. There are documents to gather, decisions to make, and requirements that may be completely unfamiliar.
One of the first major steps in the process is your home study.
A home study helps determine your eligibility and readiness to adopt internationally while also preparing you for the realities of adoptive parenting. Although the process involves a significant amount of information and documentation, its purpose is not to determine whether you live a “perfect” life or have a “perfect” family.
The home study is not intended to judge how you live your life, but educate you, prepare you, and to do an honest evaluation on what would be the right situation for your family. It helps us understand if your family will be prepared to commit to a child who needs stability, love, and a life-long commitment.
Here’s what you should know before getting started.
Choosing a Home Study Provider
For International Adoption, your home study must meet the requirements applicable to your adoption, including Hague requirements when applicable. Families should work with an appropriately licensed and qualified home study provider in the state where they reside.
If you live in Indiana, KidsFirst International Adoption can complete your international adoption home study.
If you live outside Indiana, don’t worry, we can still serve as your primary adoption service provider and work with an appropriately qualified home study agency in your state. Before the home study begins, the necessary agreement between KidsFirst International Adoption and the home study provider must be completed.
We can also provide input as you consider potential home study providers.
Questions to Ask Your Home Study Agency
Every agency structures its home study process a little differently, so asking questions at the beginning can save you time and frustration later.
Be proactive. Ask about:
- The agency’s home study process and expected timeline
- Home study fees
- Fees for future home study updates
- How documents are submitted and organized
- Instructions for completing required clearances
- The complete list of documents you will need
- Adoption education requirements
- How responsive the agency is when families have questions
Once you understand the process, start with the items that typically take the longest to obtain.
What Information Will You Need to Provide?
Your home study preparer will spend time learning about you, your household, your history, and your hopes for adoption. Families are typically asked to provide documentation and information related to areas such as:
- Medical history
- Finances
- Employment
- Criminal and child-protection background checks
- FBI and sex-offender registry clearances, as applicable
- Employer verification
- Household members
- Marriage and family history
- References
- Adoption education
International adoption education requirements vary, but families should expect to complete pre-adoption education as part of the process. Your home study provider will explain the courses you need to complete and how to submit your certificates.
Transparency Matters
Families sometimes become nervous when we begin discussing medical history, mental health, previous legal issues, or other personal circumstances.
Our goal is not to judge you!
Families come to adoption with different histories, experiences, medical conditions, and challenges. What is important is that you are transparent with us and your home study provider from the beginning.
Why? Because different countries have different eligibility requirements for adoptive parents.
For example, some countries may restrict prospective adoptive parents based on certain physical or mental health diagnoses. A history of depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, a medical condition, or a past legal issue does not automatically mean that international adoption is unavailable to you, but it may affect which country’s programs are appropriate.
The sooner we know your complete circumstances, the better we can help you avoid unnecessary obstacles and explore programs for which you may qualify.
Transparency helps us guide you toward the right path—not judge the path that brought you here.
What Happens During the Home Visit?
Your home study will include a visit to your home. This isn’t an inspection to see whether your house looks picture-perfect.
Your preparer is primarily looking at whether your home provides a safe environment for a child.
Depending on your home and applicable requirements, this may include discussing or reviewing things such as smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, swimming pools, nearby bodies of water, fencing, firearms or other weapons, carbon monoxide detector, and general household safety.
Your home does not need to look like a magazine. It needs to be a safe and appropriate place to raise a child.
How Long Does an International Adoption Home Study Take?
At KidsFirst, an international home study generally takes approximately 7–10 weeks to complete. That timeline depends heavily on how quickly the family gathers and submits the required documents, completes clearances and education, and schedules necessary meetings.
Note: KidsFirst can do expedited home studies when necessary, as long as families provide all the documents and follows requirements in a very fast manner!
When interviewing another home study agency, ask about its typical timeframe. Significant delays can affect later stages of your adoption, so responsiveness and organization matter.
More Than Paperwork
A home study isn’t simply a collection of forms.
International adoption is a significant, lifelong decision, and part of the home study process is making sure prospective parents understand the unique needs that can accompany adoption.
Your preparer will spend time getting to know your family composition, your expectations, your strengths, and the type of adoption you hope to pursue. At KidsFirst, we use that information alongside our knowledge of country programs to begin discussing what may be the right fit for your family.
For families pursuing the adoption of a waiting child, there may also be circumstances in which a country permits a child to be held for a limited period after a Letter of Intent is submitted while portions of the home study and immigration process continue. A Letter of Intent does not guarantee that a family will ultimately be approved to adopt that child—the family needs to be approved by the home study preparer and Immigration Services.
This is another reason transparency and timely completion of the process are so important. A real child is waiting on the other side of the paperwork.
Ready for the Next Step?
Your international adoption journey generally begins by applying to KidsFirst International Adoption and beginning your home study with either KidsFirst, for Indiana families, or an appropriate home study provider in your state.
Once your home study is complete, another major step begins: applying for USCIS immigration and Naturalization Services approval.
