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Ahh… The home study process. It is the entrance to adoption and the introduction to ALL the paperwork you’ll have to complete throughout the adoption process.

There are many ways to get started with a home study. Typically, if you have applied to an agency first, they will be the ones conducting your home study. If you do not plan on working with an agency for an adoption, you can still use a local agency to conduct your home study. You can also contact an attorney and ask who they recommend for a home study.

Because we are not currently working with an agency at the moment (more on that later), I did some research and found a company in Atlanta that handles home studies as well as child placement. The home study price varies from $900-$2000 from the research I found. We went with a company whose fees are generally cheaper. The state of Georgia mandates the steps so I figured why use someone more expensive if all caseworkers within each company will be doing [basically] the same thing?

To get started, I printed off the application from the agency’s website and faxed it in. It asked for basic information about Carey and I. Once they received it, the owner contacted me and assigned our caseworker, John, to us. She scheduled our home visit for July 11th (which was two and a half weeks from that initial phone call… talk about fast!) and she also informed me that she would be sending a packet of information to us regarding the home study. It included copies of releases to be signed, instructions on fingerprinting, and checklists of documents needed. She told us that we did not need to baby proof our home, John would just want to see where we live and where the baby will stay and basically just meet us face to face. There was a prospective adoptive parent questionnaire that would need to be completed. She mentioned it was rather long so if we wanted to start working on it, we could.

After cleaning like a mad women (& taking up the offer of a SWEET friend to help me clean.. Thank you, Anna!) as well as giving our front yard a minor face lift (Thanks, Mama & Chris!), John came to our house. He came in and we sat and he basically went over all the documents, met the fur kids, and took a quick [seriously, 30 seconds long] peek at our house. I buttered him up with chocolate chip cookies and after visiting for about 45 minutes, he was gone. Whew!!! *More on preparing for the home visit in the next post*

We had already completed our questionnaires so the next step was our individual interviews. John would call Carey and I separately and go over our answers to the profiles. While that was nerve-wracking, it wasn’t near as stressful as the home visit. I had taken a quick trip to Panama City Beach with my mother in law (I needed a few days to relax!) so I was able to have my interview by the pool with an amazing view of the Gulf of Mexico in front of me (I know, I have it so rough). Both mine and Carey’s interviews were about 45 minutes long and John just asked questions about our lives growing up, our siblings, our views on adoption. It was very easy and comfortable.

The next step is just collecting documents the state requires for the home study report. We have to have physicals and drug screens. We have to be fingerprinted for the FBI and the GBI. We will submit copies of drivers licenses, birth certificates, marriage license, etc. We also have to submit financial information, such as tax returns and mortgage information. It is a lot but, thankfully, I had a checklist so I was already able to collect all the paperwork. We are just waiting to have our physicals, drug screens, and fingerprints done.

Once we submit all the necessary paperwork, John will conduct our final interview. I’m assuming it is just to wrap everything up and let us know if everything checked out well. Then it will take about two weeks to write up our home study report. Once it is completed, it is active for one year.

It has been a stressful process to say the least. I know it is a necessary step and while the caseworker asks somewhat personal questions, I realize its not to “catch” us or “trick” us. They want to to see families succeed and go on to bring these children into loving, nurturing homes. I’m thankful we have an easy going caseworker who is willing to explain the next step and answer any questions we may have.

Thank you for the thoughts and prayers. Please continue to pray for us throughout the rest of the home study experience and pray that everything continues to go as smoothly as its been going so far!

XOXO- Kaitlin

“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken” – Psalm 55:22