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Choosing Your Home Study Agency
Selecting a home study (or preplacement assessment) agency can seem overwhelming, but in reality it is not
complicated. You should choose an agency with which you feel comfortable and
one that is responsive to your questions and concerns. If you have a
specific time requirement for your home study, ask if they can accommodate
that and do not hesitate to compare prices. Of course, the best way to find
the right agency for you is to seek out recommendations. Go to an adoption
support group meeting, or go online, and ask, ask, ask!
Questions To Ask of a Home Study Agency:
- Cost
Call or e-mail Nathanson Adoption Services and we would be glad to
send you a list of all applicable fees for your situation.
- Are they licensed?
We are licensed by the State of North Carolina.
- Are there any additional fees (required classes, application fee, travel fee?)
We have no application fee, and no required classes. There may be a travel fee, based on how far you live from the social
worker’s home. For an international adoption, in order to be compliant with Hague regulations, your child placing agency may ask that you obtain additional adoption education. We would be glad to include that information in your homestudy.
- Time frame for completion of home study
Our expedited reports take a few weeks,
and regular reports take eight to eleven weeks to complete.
- Can they expedite a report? How fast? What is that fee?
Nathanson Adoption
Services is proud of its reputation as a highly responsive, compassionate agency. In an urgent situation, we can complete
a home study in as little as three days to two weeks. There is an additional fee for expedited reports.
- Do you have to write an autobiography?
Since our families report that writing
an autobiography can slow down the process by weeks and months, we do not require one. Rather, our social workers spend the
time and effort during the interviews to learn more about your personal history.
- How many visits are there and where are the visits?
Typically, there are three visits, two at the social worker's office, and
one in the home. Sometimes, your placing agency may require more visits, in
which case we comply with those requirements.
- Do families receive a copy of their home study?
Yes. After the home study is written, you will receive two copies of the report. At Nathanson Adoption Services we believe in full disclosure throughout the
interview process. If we have a concern about you, we discuss it with you
during the meetings - there are no surprises.
- Can I speak to my social worker before I sign up for a home study to
determine if we will work well together?
Yes, we invite you and encourage you to speak to the social worker in your area
at any time.
 At Nathanson Adoption Services, you receive personal service from social
workers who are highly experienced in the international and domestic adoption processes. Since Nathanson
Adoption specializes in home studies, we can provide you with a
report that is tailored to your specific adoption needs. We are constantly
educating ourselves on the changes in international and domestic adoption
laws and regulations so that we are better able to provide you with
information that is current and correct. We also work with your placing
agency, the CIS (Immigration office), and the offices of the State of North Carolina to ensure
that your adoption experience is successful.
What is the difference between a home study agency and a child-placing
agency, and which ones do I need?
A home study agency will be licensed by your home state to conduct home study
assessments. That agency will not be involved in the actual child placing.
There are three reasons why families use separate home study and child-placing agencies:
- If the child-placing agency is out of state, you need a separate home study agency licensed in North Carolina to prepare your home study.
- Having a home study prepared by an independent home study agency ensures that, for now and in the future, you have the option of working with whatever child-placing agency or agencies you choose. You are not tied to using the agency that prepared your home study, for your actual adoption.
- As in many other professional fields, it is always a good idea to have important work done by "specialists" - those with intensive experience and training in one particular area.
How does Nathanson Adoption Services work with my child placement agency?
We communicate directly with your child placement agency to ensure that all
requirements are fulfilled in your home study report and in your follow-up
post-placement visits.
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Helene was incredibly efficient and was very well-informed regarding the entire adoption process; she is a wealth of information. We would recommend her highly to anyone considering adopting a child
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The emails of encouragement from you while we were in the process...truly showed your commitment to helping families, not just doing homestudies! We feel so blessed to have worked with you and offer many many thanks that you helped us become a family!
| - Max and Nicholaus, Ukraine |
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