No matter which type of adoption you choose to pursue, all prospective adoptive parents must have a home or family study completed to proceed with an adoption plan. The home study process involves adoptive-parent specific education and preparation and gathering of required information about the prospective adoptive parents and members of their home.
The Home Study Process for CT and NY Residents
Family & Children’s Agency can provide home study services for Connecticut residents and NY residents who live within a two hour drive of our Harrison, NY office.
An adoption home study is not a study of your home as the name may suggest. The home study is a document that is required by your residential state, the state in which you plan to adopt, Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), or the country you plan to adopt from. Your completed home study signifies that you are an approved prospective adoptive parent by our agency, a licensed child-placing agency in CT and NY. If you have other children or adults living in your home, they will also need to be a part of the home study process.
FCA’s home study process involves a dialogue between prospective adoptive parents and our trained, experienced adoption professionals. It is a time for answering your questions and providing individualized support. Our adoption professionals also offer:
- Pre-adoptive counseling to help you select the best adoption plan for you
- Educational opportunities to help you prepare to be an adoptive parent
- Individualized assistance to ensure that families are prepared for the adoption they are planning, keeping in mind specific needs and situations depending on the current family unit, the child to be adopted, and the type of adoption being planned. In addition we help families create a personal adoption profile to be reviewed by prospective birth parents (Domestic Adoption only)
- Unique references to materials for children and adults about adoption, including our Adoption 101 program and training about trans-racial adoptions
Family & Children’s Agency requires that all potential adoptive families:
- Attend two meetings in one of our offices
- Have one visit at your home
- Attend one of FCA’s free monthly Adoption Orientation Meetings
- Attend Adoption 101, a 6-hour day of adoption education and training provided by Agency social workers, adult adoptees, and families who have successfully adopted
- Attend a training about trans-racial adoptions for those open to adopting a child of another race or ethnicity
Important Note: If you are considering international adoption, these requirements may vary based on the country you choose to adopt from.
Home Study: Outside of Connecticut or New York
Family & Children’s Agency can only provide home study services for Connecticut residents and NY residents who live within a two hour drive of our Harrison, NY office.
