5 Tips to Prepare for a Foster Care or Adoption Home Study

Do you want to be a foster parent or learn more about the process? If so, one phrase you've likely heard is the foster care or adoption home study. If you're wondering what it entails, you're not alone.

Preparing to complete a home study is just a process. Foster homes need specific items to provide proper care for a child in their care. A home study lists these items.

Many children in foster care have had a history of child abuse, and neglect under their birth parent's supervision. Therefore we need to be careful about foster and adoptive families.

Many aspiring foster parents are curious about home study and want to know how to prepare for it. The home study is conducted to gain insight into a foster family. It evaluates if you and your home are suitable for raising a child.

While that might seem daunting, it's not as scary as it sounds, especially if you go prepared. We all want to help you be a foster family, so we are not trying to fail you. We want you to be successful.

We have an obligation to you, your family, and the child that enters your home. We are committed to supporting you throughout your journey.

These five tips to prepare for a foster care or adoption home study.

1. Keep Up With Paperwork

There's a lot of paperwork involved in fostering, and it's crucial to stay on top of it all. Falling behind can cause disruptions. This can lead to a disruption of the home study process. It can also lead to approvals being put on hold.

The documentation stage is easily the most time-consuming process, so don't make it even longer. Many agencies now, including us, have a child welfare information gateway to help you upload documents so your parent record.

Also, you'll want to pull out certain documents to verify the information you've provided. These include but may not be limited to:

Birth certificates and social security cards for each resident in the home
Pay stubs or proof of employment
United States tax records from the last few years
Proof of physical examinations for each adult (and possibly children)
Updated pet vaccination records (if applicable)
Reference letters
Fingerprint cards for your background check (your CPA will provide this for you)

Having these documents easily accessible helps to streamline the paperwork process. This makes filling out forms and sending them in much simpler. This will help to keep the process moving. Being part of the home study process is exciting. You will learn a lot about yourself and, if you have a partner, a lot about them too.

Use checklists to keep everything in order. We'll provide a list for you later in the article.

2. Talk to Your Home Study Specialist

A home study specialist ensures that your home is compliant and safe as outlined by state standards. They'll ensure the home is clean, sanitary, safe, and in a reasonable state of repair. They'll also look for any hazardous conditions and areas inside and outside.

Please remember a specialist is your partner in this journey. They are not here to catch or trap you. They are here to help and guide you. This is so the home visits will go well.

Talk to your Specialist about what's expected of you. You'll get a checklist with tasks you need to complete and steps you must take to prepare for a foster child. Since the process can be overwhelming for new parents, asking if you're ever unclear about something is best.

We are used to helping new parents, and all questions are great. Most likely, this is your first home study, so it is normal and expected that you would enquire about the process.

There may be a part of the inspection that is unexpected or confusing. If so, you can always ask the inspector what items can and cannot be in your home. Doing so can save you a lot of money, preventing you from making costly purchases that may not be necessary.

3. Relax and Take a Deep Breath

Many aspiring foster parents consider the home study process one of the most stressful parts of the application. In some cases, they may worry or overthink matters. Please don't do this; we understand you want to be successful, but we also want you to be successful. We are your team; we are not here to hurt you but to inspire you.

For instance, ensuring every corner of your house is sparkling clean and bright white isn't necessary. Yes, the home needs to be clean, but a specialist is there to see how you live daily. Kids are messy, and homes without a single spec of dust or item out of place aren't realistic for many people.

Relax and take a deep breath. Ask what standards you're supposed to meet and how you can prepare.

A home inspection should be treated like you're preparing for a visit from a beloved family member. Take the same care and attention you would normally put into making your home presentable.

Homes that are too perfect and spotless can make a home study specialist nervous. It is important to be prepared to receive a child. After all, kids won't leave it in that condition for long, and they must consider how the foster parents will react.

4. Set up the Bedroom

Before the home study, you'll want to have the bedroom space for the child ready to go. You don't need to go overboard with decorations. You won't know the age or gender of the child you will be looking after for a while. You do need to show that you have a bedroom space ready that's clean and versatile.

There should also be an area for clothes in the room. Make sure the closet is clean and has space for clothes inside or that there's a dresser.

Have the bed ready and prepared for the inspection. Decorations are not essential. You may want to wait and go shopping for decorations with your foster child when they arrive. It's a great bonding activity!

5. Prepare Your Family

The home study is a long and involved process. It's important to keep everyone in the family updated on what to expect. From when a future foster parent applies to when you receive your license will average 120 days. The home study process will take about 35 days, including three visits to your home.

The quicker the specialist can visit you in person, the more flexibility you have in arranging a meeting. This will speed up the process.

There's a strong chance that the home study specialist will talk with your children during the interview if age-appropriate. This will significantly change their life and their voice matters.

We care for everyone in the family. We want to create a safe, healthy environment for you and a foster child who may join your home.

We are focused on promoting positive mental health. Many of these children have experienced difficult times, including abandonment and sexual abuse. It is essential to provide them with a secure home.

Allow your kids to be upfront about their feelings and concerns with you and the interviewer. Everyone in the home must be ready to welcome and love the new foster child!

Change is often difficult. If your children are taught and involved in the process early, they may see it as a wonderful present. They will have given aid to a child who needs it. When they are older, it is probable that they will become foster parents, just as you have motivated them to.

Home Study Checklist – What Every Parent Needs to Prepare

You will get a checklist and tasks to do when you apply to become a foster or adoptive parent. This will come from a social worker or adoption agency. However, this checklist will let you know what you can expect in the future.

Ensure the home is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated
Safely store all household cleaning chemicals and dangerous chemicals or materials
Lock up all firearms and projectile weapons and store them in an inoperative condition
Keep ammunition and projectiles for weapons in a separate, locked area
Ensure access to a working telephone
Test smoke detectors
Post emergency telephone numbers
Ensure the home has a working bathroom and toilet facilities
The house has a working smoke detector on each level
The home has a written evacuation plan
Escape routes are free of obstacles
Well water is tested and approved (if applicable)
Hazardous outdoor areas are reasonably safeguarded (such as pools)
The home is clean, safe, sanitary, and reasonably repaired
Stairways accessible to children have safety gates (depending on the child's age)
The foster child's bedroom contains no more than four children
Bedrooms have access to the emergency exit
All vehicles used to transport the child have liability coverage
Booster seats are available (if applicable)

Documents to have on hand for the home study and adoption process include:

Driver's license or ID
Birth certificates
Social Security cards
Proof of income
Tax records
Pet vaccination records
Marriage license (if applicable)
References

Background checks for foster parents

Background checks are an important part of the safety measures put in place by the Virginia Department of Social Services. These checks are conducted for prospective adoptive parents. Your Child Placing Agency will request from the state police a local criminal background by way of fingerprints. These will also be submitted to the FBI to review national records.

If you have moved in from another state in the last five years, we will have to complete a state police check in that state as well. If you have moved around a lot, let us know as quickly as possible, as every state is different in the time it takes to get back a cleared check.

So if you have lived in two states, we will want to request these early, so we do not delay the process. Virginia takes about 30 days to get a check back. On average, your prior home may take much longer.

5 Tips to Prepare for a Foster Care or Adoption Home Study

We hope these five tips to prepare for a foster care or adoption home study have let you know more about what to expect from the process. The most important thing to remember is that this assessment ensures that your home and family make a good fit for a foster child. As such, it's critical to be realistic, open, and honest.

Thank you for letting us assist you in understanding the process. Remember, these tips are also applicable when adopting a child.

The foster or adoption home study process doesn't have to be daunting! Learn more about what to expect and how you can prepare to be a parent today.