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Judy Schwartz Adoption social worker, New York/ NewJersey State Licensed Master Social Worker offering infertility counseling in preparation for the adoption journey: |
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Home Study Information |
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A home study has very little to do with the home (so don't redecorate). It is about you and your adoption preparation. When I come to do your home study visit you will provide me with necessary information and a tour of your home will be taken. I will provide support, guidance and answers to your questions. I am non-judgmental and see myself as your adoption advocate. I believe the home study process should be a pleasant and positive experience. It is important to me that you to feel supported and understood as you go through your adoption journey. Whether you are pursuing an independent, agency, kinship, domestic or international adoption, a home study is an essential first step. A visit to the home is always part of the home study process. The number of interviews and length of interviewing time varies from family to family in accordance with various agency and country requirements An on site visit is required in order to ensure that your home is safe and appropriate for a child. Required documentation including child abuse clearances, criminal clearances, personal reference letters and financial information will be collected. The adoption home study is an opportunity for you to help me to understand who you are as a family, where you came from, and what you hope for in the future. After the interviews have been completed, I will formulate a concise report that will include an assessment of your capacity to love and nurture a child brought into your family via adoption. Your home study should be an interactive, educational experience. I am licensed and knowledgeable about state adoption laws, domestic and foreign adoption requirements, and have experience in writing well documented home studies that are acceptable to adoption, court and USCIS officials. I am familiar with Hague requirements for international adoptions through Hague countries. My home study reports are accepted by New York and New Jersey Courts for purposes of pre-certification, by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for USCIS approval, by most domestic and international adoption agencies and by ICPC (Interstate Compact for Placement of Children). I provide independent practitioner home studies for most domestic adoptions. I can also convert independent practitioner studies to an agency study, should this be necessary after the study is completed. Home studies that are written for domestic adoption meet New York and New Jersey pre-certification requirements as well as the requirements of the Court where the adoption takes place and, if applicable, domestic agency requirements. Home studies for international adoption conform to the regulations of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service as well as the requirements of the child's country of birth and the particular adoption agency the family has chosen to work. I take into account the cultural values and assumptions which prevail in the child's birth country when writing the home study. Please note, that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) requires that all studies for international adoption be processed through a New York or New Jersey state authorized agency, or that families obtain court pre-certification to be submitted to CIS with a non-agency study. A home study generally expires after one year and must be less than six months old when filed with USCIS; approval is good for eighteen months. A new home study is required when doing any additional adoptions. Updating your home study: In the event you have not completed your adoption by the expiration date you will need an update of your home study including updating criminal clearances and child abuse clearances. A home study update is also needed when a family has moved to a new home, has had other major changes in their family situation, needs to be re-certified or if their USCIS approval has expired. A home study update usually involves an interview and home visit during which the information contained in the original home study report is verified and updated. A new report is then issued. A simple update letter may be written when no significant changes have taken place in the family's situation and the update is required by the child's country of birth or USCIS as a result of time limitations being exceeded. Home Study Addendum: An addendum is required when there are changes in the family, changes regarding criminal or child abuse clearances or pertinent information needs to be noted during the time a home study remains valid. Post Placement/Post Adoption Reports: After a child is placed in a domestic adoption you will most likely need to have between one and three post-placement visits and reports. For international adoptions this can be up to four reports/visits covering up to a three year period. The number and frequency of required post placement/adoption services vary depending on the particulars of your adoption. A post-placement/adoption visit usually involves an in-home interview with the adoptive family and observation of the newly adopted child. After the visit, I will write a report about the family's and child's adjustment that can be submitted to the international placement agency, the child's birth country or (in the case of domestic placements) to the placing agency, the Interstate Compact, or to the Court. Post-placement/adoption visits may also be required for adoption finalization in New York and New Jersey and for re-adoptions in New York and New Jersey of children adopted internationally Click on this link to print a home study PDF document package. |
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