Greg Sutphin

What You Need for a Home Study

The Documents You Need for a Home Study If 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

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 Study Though 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

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?

If 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.

The Financial Costs Associated with Adoption

If you’re considering adoption as a way to build or create a family, one of your first concerns will likely be the potential cost of the adoption. This blog provides an overview of the typical expenses involved in various types of adoption proceedings.

The Domestic Adoption of an Infant through an Agency

With the domestic adoption of an infant, a pregnant birth mother chooses the adoptive parents, typically from profiles submitted to an adoption agency. The parties can be matched up at any time during the pregnancy, and the costs can vary based on when the adoption process is initiated. In most instances, the adoptive parents agree to pay for certain expenses of the birth mother, including medical costs. According to statistics gathered nationally, the average cost of a domestic infant adoption is between $20,000 and $40,000, which includes the cost of a home study, as well as medical expenses and foster care for the child.

A Private Infant Adoption

If you are able to adopt without the intervention of an adoption agency, you can dramatically reduce the overall costs. In this type of adoption, prospective adoptive parents work directly with adoption attorneys and medical professionals, or use means other than adoption agencies to locate potential children to adopt. The adoptive parents will typically pay some expenses on behalf of the birth parent, but don’t pay any agency fees. Accordingly, the cost can be as little as $15,000, equally split between attorney fees and medical expenses. On the high end, these adoptions can cost upwards of $35,000.

International Adoptions

The costs of an international adoption can vary dramatically, based on the country from which you adopt. Many countries require that you travel there to complete some aspects of the adoption, and some even require multiple visits. Experts put the total costs at $25,000, to $50,000.

Contact Our Office

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.

Common Myths about Domestic Adoption

If you are looking to start or build a family, and you’re either having difficulties conceiving or you just want to give a good home to a child in need, you’ve probably given a lot of thought to the domestic adoption process. At the same time, though, you may have heard a lot of rumors or misinformation about the availability of children, the costs or the time it takes to complete the process. This blog looks at some of the most common misconceptions about domestic adoption.

It Takes a Long Time to Finally Get a Child

You’ll often hear stories of couples who waited “years” before they were finally able to have a family through adoption. Though every situation is different and takes a different amount of time, the average domestic adoption usually takes between 8 and 15 months. Compare that to an international adoption, which averages 12-14 months, and there’s not much difference. The timeline for a domestic adoption includes the time it takes to complete a home study, as well as any time required to obtain court or state approval.

Domestic Adoptions Are Expensive

Undoubtedly, there are costs associated with a domestic adoption, unless you are adopting a child through a state foster care program. You may have the expense of traveling and living in another state until court approval for the adoption is obtained, but you won’t have the costs of foreign travel associated with international adoptions. There are ways, however, to defray and subsidize the costs, including tax credits and grants.

There Aren’t Enough Potential Adoptees for All the Parents Who Want to Adopt

Officials estimate that there are more than 100,000 children currently in foster care who are eligible for adoption. A big part of the problem is that most adoptive parents want infants, and only want to be paired with biological mothers who are pregnant, so that they can take the infant home from the hospital.

Contact Our Office

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.

The New Face of Adoption

Many Stereotypes Now a Thing of the Past

Have you wanted to adopt a child, but find yourself outside of what you consider the common demographic for an adopting parent? Maybe you are single or have a physical disability that limits your mobility. Maybe you’re gay or black, and afraid you’ll be discriminated against in the adoption process. Maybe you’re a little older and worry that an adoption agency will give priority to a young couple. There’s good news…many of the stereotypes that have long been pervasive in the adoption process are rapidly falling away. Instead, agencies are focusing more on placing children in situations where they can thrive. Here are some factors that no longer are an impediment to adoption:

Sexual orientation—Most adoption agencies will place children with a same-sex couple or with a gay parent
Disability—There are provisions in the Americans with Disabilities Act (the ADA) that provide protection to disabled individuals who want to adopt
Marital status—It’s rare anymore that an adoption agency will discriminate against a single parent
Age—Most age barriers are informal and agencies will ignore them if the adoption is in the best interests of the child. These tend to be ideal situations for older children in need of adoption.
Gender—Many men believe that they are less likely to successfully adopt a child, but that practice is rapidly changing
Race—It’s fairly common now for agencies to place children with parents of a different ethnicity
Socioeconomic status—Though adoption is still a potentially expensive process, there’s no requirement that you own your own home or that you have a specific income level. In addition, there are tax incentive, grants and other ways to defray the costs of an adoption.

Contact Our Office

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.

The International Adoption Process—Getting Started

If you’ve decided to pursue adoption as a way to build or start a family, pursuing a child internationally can be a great option. In many countries, the process is extremely stream-lined, with fairly predictable timelines, so you have a pretty good sense of when you’ll have a child. In addition, once you’re home with your child, there’s almost no possibility that you’ll ever run into the birthparents, or that your child will want to seek them out.

But there are some unique components to the international adoption process. Here’s what you can expect to get the process moving forward.

Immigration Documents that Need to Be Completed

Before anything happens, you’ll want to complete and file both the Form I-600a (Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition) and the Form I-800a (Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child from a Convention Country). These forms are filed with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Once you have submitted these forms, you will be investigated by the USCIS and will be fingerprinted. You’ll also want to obtain or update your passport, if necessary.

Once these requests are approved, you’ll receive an I-171/I797H letter, which gives your adopted child permission to legally enter the United States. The embassy in the country from which you will be adopting will also be notified of your impending adoption. You should also receive your referral (information about the specific child proposed for your adoption).

If you accept the referral, you’ll then have two more documents to complete before you can pick up your child—the Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative, and an Affidavit of Support, showing how you will provide for the financial needs of the child.

Contact Our Office

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.

Choosing the Domestic Adoption Process

When you are thinking of starting or building a family through the adoption process, one of your first decisions involves where you will look for a child—if you decide to limit your search to the United States, the adoption is known as a “domestic” adoption. With a domestic adoption, you may still have to travel to bring home your child, and you may need to complete legal requirements in another state, but you won’t have to worry about visas, foreign travel or all the procedures associated with ensuring that your child is an American citizen.

The Domestic Adoption Process

The domestic adoption process generally looks the same, whether you choose to work with an agency or go the private adoption route. The process typically starts with a home study, where case workers will come to your home, evaluate the space you will be able to provide the child, and learn more about you and your finances, as well as your parenting style. A background check is customarily part of a home study.

Once you’ve completed the home study, the next step is to locate a child suitable for adoption. When you work with an agency, that part of the process will be done for you. The agency will typically use its contacts and an established network to find a suitable match. With a private adoption, you need to take your own steps to find a child. This can be done a variety of ways, such as advertising in periodicals or online, networking or participating in social media groups.

Once you have a prospective child, you’ll have a significant amount of legal issues to resolve. If you are adopting an infant, you will need to negotiate what you will pay for and put it in writing. Once your child is with you, you will also have to file papers with the court, and will need to get court approval of the adoption.

Contact Our Office

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.

Adopting an Older Child

Are you considering adopting an older child? If so, be prepared for a lot of hard work, but also for the possibility of one of the most rewarding experiences of your life. You’ll need a lot of patience, but you’ll also have the benefit of almost immediate engagement and feedback from your child. Here are some tips to help maximize the chances of a healthy relationship with your child.

Engage a Therapist

As a general rule, therapy can only help. Don’t assume, either, that it’s just your child who needs counseling. You may want to give your adopted child the opportunity to have private time with a therapist, but you’ll need it, too. Furthermore, there can be real benefit to spending some time together with a therapist.

Be Positive

Punishing negative behaviors is rarely effective with older children. Instead, find ways to reward your adopted child when he or she exercises good judgment or behaves in an appropriate manner.

Be Patient and Flexible

Everybody parents differently. If your child has been in foster care, he or she will have to adjust to a new system coming into your home. Don’t expect full compliance any time soon (or ever, perhaps). Give your child time to adapt to new boundaries and guidelines. In addition, if your child is not responsive to a specific approach, have the flexibility to try something different.

A Support Group Can Help

Often, you can learn best from others in similar circumstances. There are plenty of support groups for parents of older adoptees. Don’t wait until the child is in your home, though. Spend time with the support group before the adoption takes place, so that you can be proactive.

Contact Our Office

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.

Domestic Adoptions Far Exceed International Adoptions

As surprising as it seems, adoption as a legal process in the United States dates back less than two centuries, to a time just before the American Civil War. Before states started establishing legal guidelines, adoption was little more than an informal practice. But much has changed in the last 150 years. Here’s a snapshot of what adoption looks like in America today.

The Overwhelming Number of Adoptions Are Domestic

Though international adoptees tend to be more visible, then number of children adoption from other countries has plummeted in the last decade, from more than 23,000 in 2004 to less than 6,500 in 2014. That’s less than 5% of the 135,000 minors adopted in the United States every year. Experts say that some countries have closed their borders to adoption and others have dramatically curtailed international adoptions. Nonetheless, the United States still adopts more children internationally than the rest of the world combined.

Nearly Half of All U.S Adoptions Are of Children in Foster Care

Statistics gathered by the Child Welfare Information Gateway indicate that approximately 40% of U.S. adoptions are through the nation’s foster care system. Sources say that more than 50,000 children go from foster care to being adopted each year, but it’s less than one-third of the eligible children. Nearly a third of the children in foster care will be there for at least three years before being adopted.

Contact Our Office

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.

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