Archives for October 2017

What You Need for a Home Study

The Documents You Need for a Home StudyIf you plan to adopt a child, you need to prepare for a home study. As a part of the home study, you’ll be asked to provide certain documents and clearances to the case worker. You may also need to address any potential safety issues in your home. This blog looks at what you’ll have to provide and the things you’ll want to do to fully prepare for the home study.

Clearances Required

Before the process can move forward, you must obtain a number of clearances regarding your behavior. Typically, the case worker will require that you submit to a criminal background check. You’ll also have to be cleared of any child abuse or neglect charges in the past five years. An FBI clearance and a sex offender clearance are also mandatory.

Documents You Must Provide

The case worker will require a number of documents to gather complete information about your health, finances, parenting style and reasons for adopting. You can expect to be asked to provide the following:

  • Drivers license and birth certificate for all residents of the family home
  • Social Security card
  • Marriage certificate, if applicable
  • Divorce decrees, if applicable
  • Prior adoption orders
  • Military discharge papers
  • Immigration documents, including visa or green card
  • Financial information, from verification of employment to tax returns, as well as proof of insurance on home, life and vehicles
  • Health records, including a statement from a licensed physician regarding the heath status of all residents of the family domicile
  • Passports and immunization records, if adopting internationally
  • Statement of personal history
  • Parenting plan
  • Pet records

Household Safety Concerns

During the home visit, the case worker will look for potential health or safety risks posed to the child. Accordingly, you’ll want to be prepared to show the following:

  • All doors and windows have secure screens and locks
  • You have gates at the top of any stairs
  • All medications, cleaning products or toxic materials are locked up or out of the child’s reach
  • All outlets have covers
  • You have everything necessary for a first aid kit
  • Your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are properly placed and functional
  • You have a working fire extinguisher in the house

Contact Our Office

To set up an appointment, call us in Haddonfield at 856-429-5005 or in Woodbury at 856-845-2555. We can also be reached in Philadelphia at 215-563-2150 or by e-mail. For clients with personal injury or workers’ compensation claims, we offer a free initial consultation, and will represent you on a contingency basis, only charging attorney fees if we recover compensation for you.

Our offices are open weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Weekend and evening appointments may be arranged upon request. We will also come to your home or the hospital, if necessary.

Preparing for Your Home Study

Preparing for Your Home StudyThough there are many different approaches to adoption—domestic and international, open and private, agency and stepparent—one of the constants with all adoptions is the home study. The home study will cover many aspects of your life, from your personal history and background to your financial status, your health and your parenting skills and experience. At some point during the process, you can expect a visit in your home, as well as an interview.

It’s important to understand, though, that you don’t have to be a passive participant in your home study. In fact, the more involved you are, the better prepared you’ll be. Here are some tips for making the home study process as easy as possible.

Know Why You Want to Adopt

There are many good reasons to adopt. When you are preparing for your home study, stop and think about why adoption is important to you. You can expect that the subject will come up during your home study and if you’ve put some thought into it in advance, you’ll be more relaxed and better able to communicate why you want to adopt.

Choose a Home Study Provider Who’s Close to You

If you are working with an agency, they will most likely be able to complete the home study. But you don’t have to use them. If you are adopting internationally and using an agency located in another state, you can still have the home study done by a local person. In addition, if you are adopting internationally, make certain the home study provider is Hague accredited.

Complete All Paperwork before the Home Visit

As part of the home study, you’ll have a number of forms to fill out, as well as a number of documents to provide. Gather the required information, complete the forms and compile them together in a folder or envelope.

Make Certain Your Home is Safe for a Child

Your home doesn’t need to be fully child-accessible by the time of the home visit, but if you have a pool or other safety risk, you should either have taken safety precautions or be able to explain what safety precautions will be taken. Note that it’s not essential that you have a completed nursery or even a separate room for the child at the time of the visit, but you’ll want to be able to show where the child will sleep, play and eat.

Contact Our Office

To set up an appointment, call us in Haddonfield at 856-429-5005 or in Woodbury at 856-845-2555. We can also be reached in Philadelphia at 215-563-2150 or by e-mail. For clients with personal injury or workers’ compensation claims, we offer a free initial consultation, and will represent you on a contingency basis, only charging attorney fees if we recover compensation for you.

Our offices are open weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Weekend and evening appointments may be arranged upon request. We will also come to your home or the hospital, if necessary.

How Long Can You Expect the Adoption Process to Take?

How Long Does the Adoption Process TakeIf you are considering adoption, you want to have a good idea of how long the process will take, start to finish. This blog looks at the whole process, and gives you a good estimate as to how much time each step should require.

Step One—Educating Yourself about Adoption/Choosing the Type of Adoption

The adoption process is complex, with a variety of options. You should take at least a month, and maybe as much as three months, to read about the different ways to adopt. You may also want to join an adoption support group, or attend an informational meeting at a local agency.

Once you feel sufficiently informed, you can make a good decision about whether you want to adopt domestically or internationally, whether you want an open or a closed adoption, or whether you want an agency or private adoption.

Step Two—Choose Your Agency or Facilitator/Begin Looking for a Child

If you’ve decided to use an agency, take the time to interview at least three different providers. The same principle applies if you plan to use an adoption attorney.

Once you’ve secured an agency or attorney, it’s time to start looking for a child. An agency will do this for you. With an attorney, you may get some assistance, but you may also need to be proactive about identifying sources for a prospective child. During this phase, you’ll be putting all the measures in place to find a child, but don’t expect to successfully complete that within six months. It’s possible, but can often take longer.

At this point in time, it’s also a good idea to put together a budget for the adoption.

This part of the process should take no more than six months.

Step Three—Complete the Requirements to Adopt

This part of the process includes the completion of the home study, the preparation of a profile for expectant mother review, and the preparation of all immigration and visa documentation, if you plan to adopt internationally. Expect this part of the process to take six to nine months.

Step Four—Complete the Adoption by Bringing Your Child Home

At this point, it’s a bit of a waiting game. With an international adoption, you are waiting for your referral, which provides you with preliminary information about your child. In a domestic adoption, you are waiting for a birthparent to choose you based on your profile. Depending on a variety of factors, this part of the process can take anywhere from nine months to two years.

Contact Our Office

To set up an appointment, call us in Haddonfield at 856-429-5005 or in Woodbury at 856-845-2555. We can also be reached in Philadelphia at 215-563-2150 or by e-mail. For clients with personal injury or workers’ compensation claims, we offer a free initial consultation, and will represent you on a contingency basis, only charging attorney fees if we recover compensation for you.
Our offices are open weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Weekend and evening appointments may be arranged upon request. We will also come to your home or the hospital, if necessary.