How to Prepare for a Home Study for Foster Care or Adoption

Foster mother reading a book to her child

The U.S. foster care system works to reunite children with their biological family or primary caregiver whenever possible. However, recent data shows that less than 50% of children in foster care return full circle. This is down from nearly 60% in 2000.

Around 400,000 kids in foster care need temporary care, preferably from foster parents in a home setting. About 25% – over 50,000 children – cannot return to their birth parents. They require long-term care and hope to find forever homes with adoptive families.

Whether your goal is to provide foster care or adopt a child in need, you will need to participate in the Home Study process. What is a Home Study, and how do you prepare?

Home Study is the longest and most thorough portion of the foster approval process. We hope to make it more approachable by breaking it down into smaller segments. This important information will guide you as you pursue foster or any type of adoption journey.

What is a Home Study?

A Home Study is a child welfare tool used to determine if a family is fit and ready to foster or adopt a child. If you seek domestic adoption, you may hear adoption professionals call it a Pre-adoptive Home Screening.

This vital part of the foster and adoption process is often the most time-consuming. Since 55% of adopted children become part of their foster families, some states allow for dual-approval home studies.

After you begin the foster parent approval process, your child-placing agency will guide you through every step. A home study professional will work with you to conduct each portion of your Home Study. Their report will determine if you can proceed in the approval and licensing process. It also designates the circumstances or characteristics of children most likely to be a good match.

Who Must Complete a Home Study?

Every adult or family wishing to foster or adopt a child must complete a Home Study. This includes family members who want to adopt a relative in foster care. It also includes parents who want to adopt a child from another country.

Home Study guidelines and requirements are similar across the country. However, there are some differences between states, and also between home studies designed for foster versus adoption. You will be able to find resources from various companies and organizations that list helpful Home Study characteristics. The Child Welfare Information Gateway compiles Requirements for Foster Care, as well as for Adoption.

The Home Study Process

The Home Study process extends beyond a caseworker home visit. It includes everything needed for families to get their home ready for a new child they plan to foster or adopt. Early elements of the fostering process include foster parent orientation and training.

The Home Study gets more personal with family interviews and home visits. These help your caseworker get to know your family and understand your goals.

Orientation and Training

After selecting a child-placing agency partner in your state, the fostering or adoption process typically begins with orientation. During this no-commitment information session, prospective foster and adoptive families learn about the approval and licensing process. You will also learn more about the foster care system and the children who are in it.

Orientation is an opportunity to discuss your goals and ask questions. It also gives you time to decide whether to take the next step with the agency or choose another.

Following orientation comes foster parent training. All states require parents to undergo training. The number of hours varies, but most fall between 20 and 50 training hours. After receiving your foster license, you will have additional periodic training to continue your foster parent education.

Foster parent training helps applicants learn about the shared circumstances and needs among most foster kids. It also teaches adults and families how to care for and support foster youth. Additionally, the training provides information about the resources available for foster and adoptive families in each state.

Interviews and Home Visits

Interviews and home visits follow training and are key components of the Home Study. They bring a period of detailed review to ensure you are ready and prepared to care for a child in your home. Your foster or adoption caseworker will interview people you provide as personal references. They will also process a criminal background check on you and any other adults or adult children living at home.

Your caseworker will conduct a home visit, and sit down to interview you. If you live with a partner or other family members in the house, your caseworker may also interview them. Many people worry about the closer look a home visit entails. Preparing ahead of time can put you and your family at ease.

What Does a Home Study Report Include?

A Home Study report has details about your family and checks if your home is safe for a child. The report will also include recommendations and requirements detailing any necessary changes to prepare your home for a child.

Your specialist will also help you understand how best to prepare for your Home Study. Your agency partner can explain the information included in the report from your state and their agency. They are responsible for its content. As the foster parent applicant, you will be responsible for making necessary changes noted in the report.

Following is a preview of what you will expect to find in your Home Study report.

Basic Details

Aspiring foster and adoptive parents provide basic administrative details on the initial foster parent application. During the Home Study process, your caseworker will verify this information. Basic details are likely to include the following information for you, and your partner, if applicable:

  • Age
  • Employment history
  • Educational background
  • Marital status and marriage history
  • Current residence and residence history
  • Citizenship status
  • Financial status
  • Health status
  • Criminal background
  • Disability status
  • Fertility status
  • Parenting experience
  • Daily routines
  • Marriage quality and stability
  • Reasons you want to foster or adopt
  • Family feelings about foster and adoption

The nature of these questions is personal. The intent is not to invade your privacy. Instead, foster workers try to match the right foster child for your family based on your specific situation.

In this review, you will discuss preferences for age groups, specific traits, or foster child backgrounds. The greatest need in many states is for foster parents willing to take in older kids or sibling groups. Foster caseworkers will explore whether you are interested in fostering teens or siblings.

Foster and Adoption Viewpoints

Being a foster parent brings both parenting challenges and rewards. By the time you begin the Home Study, you will have gained an education through foster parent training. All foster children have experienced trauma, so a key training topic is trauma-informed care. Your agency will want to know if you are prepared to help foster children who have unique and individual needs.

Child welfare resources report that up to 80% of children in foster care suffer from mental health disorders. Post-traumatic stress disorder, in particular, commonly affects these children. Your opinions will help your caseworker determine if you are prepared to support your foster child, as needed. This could include assistance at home or with professional counseling, therapy, or medical care.

Agencies may ask you about your opinions on caregiving structures to match the right child with your family. Among their discussion points will be your feelings about:

  • Your parents
  • Your childhood
  • Children exposed to different forms of abuse or neglect
  • Children of certain backgrounds or with specific behaviors

They will also explore your viewpoints about the following:

  • Your foster child's religion
  • Childcare
  • Discipline
  • Your foster children's separation from and loss of their family or caregiver's home
  • Your child's biological family
  • Your expectations and plans for the child, including ideas about foster-to-adopt

Social Life Data

There is a common saying, "It takes a village to raise a child." Foster parent requirements do not include having a spouse or partner. But, even couples who become foster parents together need to figure out the best way to share parenting duties.

With this in mind, the Home Study evaluates your relationships and social life. Your caseworker will interview close friends and family members to glean the following insights:

  • Presence and quality of family relationships
  • How your extended family views fostering and adoption
  • What support systems are available to you

A less-than-ideal support system is unlikely to disqualify you as a foster or adoptive parent. However, caseworkers view home life and relationships as a source of stability, belonging, and identity for the child.

Home and Neighborhood Details

The second aspect of a Home Study assesses the safety of the home where the child will live. Caseworkers will look at the following details of your home when conducting a home visit:

  • Functioning heat, lighting, and adequate ventilation
  • Safety aspects for children
  • Presence and proper storage of firearms or other weapons
  • Bed, bedroom, and/or bathroom for the child, as states require
  • Presence of age-appropriate items, like booster seats and stairway safety gates
  • Liability insurance coverage for vehicles

The caseworker will also collect information about your neighborhood, such as community resources and the local crime rate. States require that foster children have their own beds and space for personal belongings. Check your state's requirements about shared versus dedicated bedrooms.

References and Background Checks

During the Home Study, your caseworker will request personal references and information to run a criminal background check. All adults living in the home need to undergo this crucial check to ensure the safety and care of foster and adopted children.

Your caseworker will request a background check in each state you have lived in. The more you have moved around, the longer this process will take. Provide this information as early as possible to avoid approval delays.

How Long Does the Home Study Process Take?

The Home Study process takes an average of 30 days after training and paperwork is complete. The exact length of time depends on your state and agency's unique requirements, and how prepared you are for each portion of the process. It helps to pull administrative requirements together ahead of time and ensure that foundational home safety aids are working.

During this time, you may have multiple home visits and two or more interviews in your home or caseworker's office.

How Much Does a Home Study Cost?

In the United States, the Home Study is free to foster and adoptive families who are partnering with their state's public or private foster care program. 

Private international adoption agencies require a Home Study before you can adopt a child from another country. Private fees vary and may range from $1,000 to $3,000.

Home studies expire after six to 24 months, depending on state law. If you require a second Home Study, you will have to pay the cost again.

How to Prepare for a Home Study for Adoption or Fostering

Aspiring foster parents can't control every aspect of the Home Study timeline. However, there are things within your control that will keep the process moving smoothly forward. Preparing for the Home Study ahead of time can ensure a speedy process with minimal delays.

Here are tips to help home visit interviews go off without a hitch:

Compile the Necessary Documents

Even if you've provided documents earlier in the approval process, have them handy when your caseworker visits your home. Your home study professional may need to verify information, including:

  • Driver's licenses or IDs for everyone in the household
  • Criminal background check forms
  • Proof of health insurance
  • Fingerprinting documents for the background check
  • Financial statements, such as a pay stub, W-2, or income tax form
  • Birth certificates for everyone in the household
  • Social security cards for everyone in the household
  • Marriage and/or divorce records, if applicable
  • Proof of physical examinations for everyone in the household
  • Proof of pet vaccinations
  • Contact information for three to four personal references, usually including names, phone numbers, and addresses
  • An autobiographical statement, if applicable

Ask your adoption specialist for a Home Study checklist of all the important documents you need. Keep them in a folder or binder throughout the process to ensure everything is readily available when needed.

Get Your Home in Order

Caseworkers want to ensure children will live in a safe, comfortable home. Getting the following things in order will prepare your family and your home. Additionally, this will help ensure that your caseworker doesn't need to schedule additional home visits.

  • Ensure fire alarms, smoke detectors, and carbon monoxide alarms are in working order.
  • Store toxic chemicals out of reach.
  • Properly store household weapons in a locked cabinet or container.
  • Have emergency contacts available.
  • Create a written evacuation plan for your home.
  • Set up appropriate safeguards for pools and other hazardous areas.

This is only a sample of what a caseworker will look for during the home visit(s). Ask your Home Study specialist to learn more about getting your home in the best order.

Rehearse for the Interview

Approach a Home Study like you would any interview. Think about the questions and prepare your answers ahead of time. Involve the whole family, as your caseworker will interview you, and if applicable, your spouse and children, too.

Be prepared to prepare your references. Ensure those whom you provide as references are willing to watch for a call and speak on your behalf. Help them prepare by reviewing the information your caseworker is likely to cover.

References should be able to speak to your experience with children and the stability of your household. Most agencies ask that references not be family members, but rather close friends, co-workers, and neighbors.

What Causes a Home Study Failure?

Most prospective parents find the Home Study goes more smoothly than they expected. However, there are a few pitfalls that could cause failure to clear the Home Study. Felony convictions, life-threatening health issues, or poor finances could negatively impact your ability to care for a child. If you or anyone else in your household has similar factors, discuss the circumstances ahead of time.

An unsafe or unstable home may also prevent your caseworker from approving your application. However, using your caseworker's recommendations to remedy home safety issues can make a difference.

Finally, be open and honest during the approval process. Dishonest answers or information can cause a Home Study failure. Honest, open lines of communication will help your caseworker help you clear the Home Study without issues.

Are You Ready to Foster or Adopt?

Families must pass a Home Study before fostering or adopting a child in the home. Prospective foster parents can prepare by collecting papers, checking home safety standards, and practicing interviews with family and friends.

Are you ready to start the fostering or adoption process? FosterUSKids is the national resource committed to helping aspiring foster parents like you. Use our state-specific resources to take the next step in your parenting journey today.