The Home StudyOnce you find an agency that will work with you and that you feel comfortable working with, you will be required to go through the exciting home study process. HA!A home study can take anywhere from 2 weeks to several months depending on the agency, your home study worker, and the requirements that you must satisfy before you are given approval. The goal of the home study is not only to find out if the agency thinks you will be a fit parent, but also to ensure the best match between parent and child as well as to draw up goals for your own education about adoption and personal development. Your home study worker can recommend some great books, videos, and trainings that will help you make your transition to becoming a parent more successful. In my home study process in Boulder County, I had the choice of completing a questionnaire consisting of dozens of in depth questions or writing an autobiography of my life. As I have a writing background, I chose the latter. As a single father applicant, my application was completed much more quickly than any couple's because I did not have to address all the couple related questions about how we deal with conflict and our personality differences, or how we would deal with our differences of opinion regarding appropriate parenting.After all the application materials have been submitted, you will be assigned a home study worker, who is a social worker working for the agency. When working with a private agency, you may be required to hire and pay for your own home study worker, which can cost up to $3000.00. If working with a social services agency, your home study will be completed for free. Your home study worker will do an initial visit to your home and will ask you dozens of questions about your life and fill in any gaps that were missing from your application. S/he will check your house for safety and make recommendations or requirements for fixing possible child safety hazards before any approval will be granted. After the initial visit, your home study worker will begin writing up the study. S/he will call or email you several times asking question after question, and s/he will uncover anything and everything about your life that s/he feels is important to know, including everything you wanted to hide about your past when you began the process. S/he will visit your house at least one more time to ensure all the safety fixes have been completed.
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