This is the first in a three-part series
about the adoption home study process
An adoption social worker shared the following information
at a workshop last week:
- Typical birth parents who choose to place their child for
adoption (domestic U.S.) - Typical adoptive parents in a domestic adoption are in their
mid-30s to mid-40s. - An adoption home study takes 2 to 3 months on average to
complete. - Prospective adoptive parents are most likely to get a
thorough, legally-binding home study at a licensed adoption agency. If you
adopt internationally, most countries accept only agency home studies. - Some independent private practices complete home studies.
Before hiring them, make sure that they include all the state-mandated elements
(in other words, that they are thorough). Otherwise, the adoption agency you
work with after the home study is completed may charge you additional fees to
“fill in the gaps” in your home study. - The cost for a home study varies from agency to agency and
from state to state. It usually ranges from $1,000 to $1,400 for domestic and
international adoptions. The cost for a foster-adoption home study is
significantly less, and in many cases, there is no fee for this type of
adoption.
For more information about adoption, visit my Web site, www.laurachristianson.com