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Congratulations!
 You have made the important decision
to build your family through adoption. So, what happens now? Decisions, decisions. Who can prepare
my home study? What type of adoption is right for me? How do I choose a child-placing agency?
Hopefully, this information will help to guide you along the path towards your child!
"Thanks for all your guidance; you’ve really kept us sane during this whole process."
The Home study
Your first step in pursuing an adoption is the home study. You will need an approved home study (also
called a preplacement assessment) for any type of adoption you choose to pursue, whether it is
domestic or international.
The State of North Carolina will only license agencies, not individual social workers, to conduct
home studies, therefore you must obtain a home study from a licensed agency.
Nathanson Adoption Services is licensed by the State of North Carolina to prepare home studies and
post placement supervision reports. We will work with your child-placing agency to create a report
that will satisfy all state, Immigration (CIS), or intercountry requirements. In addition, we
have extensive experience in helping both traditional and non-traditional families to adopt.
A home study is not a close inspection of your home. Rather, it is a report about your family which
(hopefully) concludes in a recommendation of you as prospective adoptive parents.
CASI is proud of its association with Nathanson Adoption Services. We know that families
working with Nathanson Adoption come to us fully educated on adoption issues, approved at every level and supported throughout the
entire process. Nathanson Adoption is one of the best home study agencies in the country, and North Carolina families are very lucky to have them.
| - Tom DiFilipo, Executive Director, The CASI Foundation for Children |
What is a home study and why is it required?
A home study is a report prepared by a social worker, which is based on a series of meetings that
take place between the social worker and the prospective adoptive parents. There will be approximately
three meetings with the social worker, one of which will be in your home. It also includes a review
of required documents, and interviews with all members of the household.
Before the State of North Carolina or CIS can approve an adoption, they want assurances that the
prospective adoptive couple will be good parents who will appropriately care for their child. The
State of North Carolina licenses certain agencies, and authorizes their social workers to conduct
investigations about the couple. The State then recognizes the report prepared by these social workers
regarding the acceptability of the prospective parents. Nathanson Adoption Services is a licensed
agency in North Carolina for both domestic and international adoptions.
Most child-placing agencies will not work with you until you have an approved home study.
A home study enables the social worker to provide a description of you as potential parents. The
home study process helps to prepare you for adoption and gives you an opportunity to raise any
issues or concerns you may have towards adoption or parenting.
What information is included in a home study?
During the home study interviews, the following information will be collected by the social worker:
- General information and description of you and your family including names, dates of birth,
occupation, as well as background information of you and your family.
- If you are married, a description of your marriage.
- You will also discuss your parenting philosophy, feelings about children and adoption,
interests and activities, home and community, religion, plans for discipline, financial resources,
medical history, criminal records, and the type and age of child you wish to adopt.
- The social worker will provide you with information and education on various types of adoption,
including domestic and international adoption and the different requirements for both.
- Verification of all documents (see documents section for a complete list) and your letters
of reference.
 A home study is not a critical assessment
of your family, but a way for us to gather information so that we may recommend you for adoption. We
understand that everyone is different and many of us have experiences in our past that may be of
concern. We urge you to contact us about these issues and simply ask questions about whether this
makes you unapprovable for adoption.
Our experience has been that in most cases, we are able to assure clients that they can still be
approved for adoption despite their past personal or family history. We want to be sure that
you will be able to provide a stable, safe and loving home for a child. Prospective parents are
evaluated on who they are today - not on past mistakes. Our social workers have approved hundreds
and hundreds of prospective adoptive parents for adoption, many of whom present with less than
perfect histories.
What happens during a home visit?
There are many myths about home visits. We do not "drop by unannounced" or look for dust in your
closets. We do not question neighbors or expect the child's room to be set up. In reality, it is
a brief walk through your home to see where the child will live, look at your neighborhood and its
facilities and conduct the interview. Clients' typical reaction after the home visit is, "that's
all?" Homes do not have to be immaculate - just comfortable and appropriate for a child.
How long is the home study valid?
A home study is valid for 18 months in North Carolina.
What if my home study expires and I haven’t adopted a child yet?
You simply need a home study update- this is a fraction of the cost of the original home study and
usually requires just one meeting.
What is post placement supervision?
Post placement supervision is a brief meeting with the parents and adopted child, in order to
ascertain that the child is being well cared for, and the family is adjusting comfortably to the
new addition. A separate report is written after each post placement visit.
Requirements for post-placement supervision vary by state and by country. Your placing agency will
inform you of the number of post-placement visits necessary for your adoption. Based on our
experience in the field of adoption, we can offer suggestions to help all members of the family.
We may also make referrals to local resources for additional assistance if that is indicated.
Our social workers love post-placement visits- we are thrilled to finally meet your children!
How can I get started on obtaining a home study?
You can download and print out our Application Packet or,
simply contact us and we'll send an Application Packet out to you in the mail.
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We were almost ready to give up on our adoption process but then we met Helene and she changed our minds. She 'held our hands' through every aspect of our homestudy and made the adoption process simple for us. We highly recommend her and thank her from the bottom of our hearts for helping us to adopt our beautiful little girl.
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Nathanson Adoption Services made us feel right at home with their personal touch. During our adoption they becaome part of our extended family.
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