What is a home study and why do I need one to adopt?
A home study is an independent study of your familys capacity and readiness to provide a physically and psychologically safe home for a child. It takes place early in the adoption process and is required by your state of residence, the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services and the country from which you will be adopting. The home study agency will collect an application from you and supporting documentation such as a medical report, letters of reference, copies of your birth certificates, criminal and child abuse clearances etc. These documents will be reviewed and then a social worker will meet with your family usually between 2 and 4 times. During these meetings, the social worker will get to know your family better so that he or she can write a home study report which will then become a part of your USCIS application and your country dossier. The report is generally about 10 pages in length and provides a snapshot of your family. The purpose of the home study is to screen a
