What to Expect for the Foster Home Study: Ready, Set, Relax!
Learn What to Expect During the Foster and Adoption Home Study Process
In a recent six-month period, 162 Virginia foster kids found themselves with nowhere to sleep. The state put them up in hotels, hospital ERs, and business offices because there was no available permanent housing. Virginia is not unique. Everywhere you look in the United States, children need foster parents and families.
Applicants must complete the foster care and adoption Home Study to become a foster parent in any state. What is the Home Study process? In short, it is a vital process that child-placing agencies use to ensure you're fit and ready to become a foster parent. It also helps foster advocates understand how they can help meet your goals for raising a child.
Here are the essentials for completing the Home Study, including a handy Home Study checklist.
What Exactly is the Home Study?
The Home Study is the longest and most detailed part of the approval and licensing process in the foster care system. Your foster or adoption professional will learn about your parenting style, home, and lifestyle needs. This knowledge helps them match your family with a foster child.
This process can be time-consuming, but it serves an important function. It ensures you and your family are prepared to care for a foster child. It also serves a second key goal: to make a match between your family and foster child.
Several parts make up the process and assessment. Your Home Study professional will verify the information on your application, including work history and income. You will also supply a variety of new information, such as proof of physical and emotional health.
Your representative will conduct interviews with you and other family members during one or more home visits. Child safety and well-being are paramount. The Home Study also includes a home visit, safety inspection, and criminal background check.
Parents often feel nervous or anxious about the depth of the Home Study. Knowing what to expect will help you move smoothly through the process. Focus on two understandings: The Home Study will:
- Help you prepare to be an excellent foster parent to your child.
- Allow your child-placing agency to understand your goals, preferences, and needs so they can make the best possible match with your foster child.
Foster Home Study Expectations
Prior to the Home Study are foster parent orientation and pre-service training. In some states, interviews and background checks also precede home visits. The foster care agency and courts need to allow ample time to make the right choice for each foster child and family. The process can be long, but it's important for all involved.
Here are the key components of the Home Study:
Interviews
Expect a specialist to interview you, and possibly members of your family, more than once. Answer questions honestly and thoughtfully. Interviews help your Home Study specialist understand how best to help meet the goals and needs of you and your child.
If you're married or in a relationship, your specialist will also interview your partner. Kids of a certain age will also have to answer questions, especially if they are living or spending time at home.
Interview questions will explore your experience with children, though no set experience requirements exist. Experience can help; however, foster parent training will prepare you to foster a child. Questions will also explore your approach to parenting kids of different ages.
Expect questions about your coping skills: managing daily stress, processing grief, and navigating a crisis. Consider how you will answer questions about your family life, close friend and family member relationships, and support network. Your interviewer will also ask about your commitments, daily schedule, and ongoing responsibilities.
Understanding your foster or adoption preferences is primary to making a good match. To that end, your specialist will explore if you have preferences such as age, gender, and race. They will want to understand if you have adoption plans.
The more open you are to expanding your preferences, the more quickly you may receive your first foster placement. For example, most states will not need as many foster homes for babies and toddlers. The average age of a child in the foster system is 8 years old.
In every state, the broadest and most desperate need is for foster families who will care for teenagers and sibling groups. Agencies seek to keep siblings together, and the first placement attempt is typically Kinship Care. Many sibling groups include the youngest of our nation's foster babies and small children.
Foster and adoption Home Study interviews tend to be the same. The only difference may be whether a foster care or adoption agency representative is leading it.
Health Statements and Coverage
Expect to have a physical exam. You will need to show proof that your doctor has found you healthy and capable of caring for a foster or adopted child.
Few diseases or medical conditions would disqualify you from becoming a foster parent. Chronic conditions like Diabetes and high blood pressure are controllable with medication. In these situations, you may have to show that you're under a doctor's care and have a treatment plan.
You may also need to provide proof of sound mental health. If you or a family member has a history of mental health problems, your specialist may ask for more details. Each foster parent's situation is unique.
Consider if you have the time, energy, and good health to nurture and take care of a child. These are the bottom lines of any assessment.
One more point about health: Expect to show your insurance plans, including health coverage. Foster children are in the state's custody while in care and so have insurance coverage through Medicaid. A child-placing agency can answer specific questions about healthcare coverage for foster children and kids awaiting adoption.
Financial Stability
Foster families must have a stable source of income sufficient to care for their foster children and family. Aspiring parents in the foster or adoption process must show proof of income. Commonly requested forms of evidence include pay stubs, tax forms, or a W-2 income statement.
You must also demonstrate your ability to manage family finances. Interviews will ask you about savings and investment accounts. They may also review your level of debt and insurance policy coverage.
In most cases, your spouse or partner must also submit the same financial information. Your child-placing agency will provide a checklist so your family can get everything in order ahead of time. Having statements, proofs, and policies on hand will prevent processing delays and keep your Home Study process moving.
Criminal Background Checks
Aspiring foster parents must clear a criminal background check. Assessors will examine federal, state, and local criminal records about you and any adults living in the home.
To protect children, background checks will red-flag any history of child abuse. Most states also require fingerprinting. Your agency social worker will help you complete each step along the way. This includes helping you navigate all required elements of the background check process.
Your agency will notify you if the background check reveals information that affects your eligibility. Agencies must comply with laws and regulations concerning all licensing requirements, including fingerprinting and criminal background checks.
Personal Statement
Aspiring foster and adoptive parents may need to write a brief story about their lives. Also known as an autobiographical statement, this summary may include highlights from your history and current situation.
Foster parent applicants often use different forms, such as letters, social media posts, or even scrapbooks. These are a helpful and revealing way for the Home Study specialist to learn about you and your family.
Community References
Prospective foster and adoptive parents must provide personal references as part of the Home Study. References will include the name and contact information of a specified number of people in your support network.
References paint a clearer picture of your character, personal traits, and relationship strengths. Most agencies request that your references avoid family members. Instead, they'll ask for references from friends, neighbors, and other community members, such as from church or volunteer organizations.
Home Visits
Home visits assess whether your new foster family can provide children with a safe, stable, and loving home environment. Foster and adoptive homes must meet all state safety and licensing standards. Requirements vary by state, though are similar. Typically, these requirements include functional smoke alarms, access to clean water and indoor plumbing, and sufficient heating and lighting.
No hazardous conditions can exist inside or outside. These include safety requirements around swimming pools, access to toxic chemicals, and the presence of firearms. Firearms are the leading cause of child death. If guns are in the home, you must store and lock them away separately from ammunition and meet all regulatory laws.
Social workers never expect homes with children to be perfect; however, they must be reasonably clean. To prepare for your Home Visit, ensure your home meets safety standards for your foster or adoptive child's age group. Depending on the age, you may need to install child safety locks and outlet covers.
Top Three Tips to Prepare for the Home Study?
While the foster care Home Study may seem like a lot to manage, you can do much to prepare. The top three tips to get ready for your Home Study are all about learning:
- Research to learn Home Study requirements.
- Ask your agency partner for advice and checklists.
- Talk to other foster parents who've been through this process before you.
The basic purpose of the Home Study is to ensure a match between your family and a foster child. Be honest about your goals and needs. Make a list of FAQs or research those who've shared the answers from their experience. Your agency partner is also a good resource for a foster care Home Study question list.
Preparing your partner and children is another pro tip. The aim is not to instruct them on what to say. Instead, give them time and opportunity to think about their feelings, hopes, and questions. Fostering is a major commitment for the whole family.
Foster Care in Your State
Now you understand what to expect and how to prepare for a foster parent Home Study. You don't need to feel nervous. Remember, each step is to help you feel comfortable and make the right match between you and your foster child.
Learn more about becoming a foster or adoptive parent in your state. You can also explore foster care programs through the Child Welfare Information Gateway or other resources.
When ready to take the next steps, contact a local child-placing agency for guidance. You will never be alone in the foster care community. Your agency partner is the first and lasting member of your foster child care team.
