An adoption home study is like a job interview for the most important job you will ever have. An adoption home study can be overwhelming if you don’t know what to expect.

The worker from the home study agency will come to your house to interview you, and to check the capabilities of your house to handle the child. In states where you are required to be a licensed foster parent first, they will check to make sure that your home complies with foster home regulations. You may request a copy of those regulations from your state to make sure that your home complies. The requirements are fairly simple and virtually every home will comply. We live in an old farm house. The only things we had to were replace a bathroom door (lock couldn’t be unlocked from the outside) and add a handrail on our stairs.

They are NOT looking to see if you have dust bunnies under your bed, or if your home is spotless. Many parents spent countless hours cleaning. It’s OK for your house to be “lived in”.

Instead, they’re going to be looking for things like smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, will your child have his own room, is there adequate storage for your child’s belongings, do you have a fire safety plan, are emergency numbers posted where a child can find them, are your cleaning supplies and chemicals stored out of reach of the child, and other basic safety items.

During these visits, you will also spend time with the worker, who will be asking some very personal questions. The worker needs to get a feel for your personality, your parenting style, and your expectations to better assess the type of child that will fit best into your home.

You may “rehash” some of the things that you already answered on your adoption application. This is normal and does not mean that you have done anything wrong.

The one thing I can not stress enough is to be honest during these “interviews”. If you can not or do not want to parent a child who requires around the clock care, please say so. If you have certain behaviors or issues that you do not want to deal with, share this with your worker. It will help to give the worker a better understanding of the child that will be the best match for your family. It is better, for both you and the child, for you to wait longer to be matched with a child, than to have a placement that disrupts.

There will be several visits spread over a period of time. Be prepared to wait. A home study could take 2-6 months, or even up to a year.

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