Adoption Home Study?

jm1970

I'm an adoption social worker and I don't run credit checks (I run criminal checks). All I look to see is that you can meet your financial obligations, live within your means and have a suitable home for the child.

Also, health benefits, death benefits and someone to care for the child in the event that you die (ALL parents should have that).

It is illegal to discriminate on the basis of income as long as you can provide a stable life for the child.

Adoption is VERY expensive unless you are adopting through foster care.

Oh me oh my...â™¥

For finances they just need to know that you can support a baby/child and provide for his/her needs. That don't want someone adopting a child that can not afford to take care of his/her basic needs. They don't mean rich, they men financial able to meet needs not wants :o)

Many adoption agencies don't actually run a credit check; they ask you for some sort of financial worksheet. They are looking for a balance between income and expenditures, not necessarily dollar amounts. You just need to prove that you can manage your money well, and can work a child into your budget. A home study is basically a 'research paper' about you, and your social worker needs to gather information from all aspects of your life. She is not trying to be nosy or judgmental, a good home study is a collaboration between you and your social worker. Relax and let her guide you. Congratulations on taking the first steps towards an adoption.

eve

The purpose of a home study is to check out the place you live and to get to know you a little and to make sure that you are "fit" to be parents. This is interpreted pretty generally and loosely. The agencies are not looking for perfect families and ideal situations. Any good social worker certainly knows that people aren't perfect and neither are relationships. They want to make sure that you are stable in several ways. Financially stable doesn't mean you have to be well off. It means you have to be able to support a child and aware of the impact that a child is likely to have on your finances. For instance, it would seem to me that they might not like it if you had no idea that it would matter to your financial situation if one of you quit work to stay at home. Or that you didn't have any understanding that a baby would cost money to raise, beyond the presents you were expecting. They are not looking for someone who lives in a fantasy world and thinks everything will just be fine if they could only save a baby from an orphanage. They are looking for people who are in stable relationships. They know that every marriage has it's issues but, they want to know that you can deal with your issues. If you have problems, they want to know how you deal with them -- not just for you to say that you don't have any problems. Working class people are as capable as anyone else in raising a child and there is nothing needing to be justified in that.
Good luck! Adoption is a wonderful way to form a family.

Lord Barrack O-Vader

Credit score will be looked at along with finances.
This is a judging game. They want to know if you have the resources to raise a child.

tj n

It does not count against you. Do you have the things you need? Can you care for a child? You'll be fine! I am doing the home study and in a similar situation. Good luck!

Yes and no. They do ask about income and savings. They NEED to know that you can support a child.

However, the adoption process is not cheap, and most of the money must be paid prior to taking custody. The lawyers will provide you with a list of expected fees, and you will give them a cashier's check for the money. The process cannot continue until the money is in place. The reason for this is because they need to eliminate the risk that they may need to remove the child from your custody.

Here is just a short list of some of the typical fees:

Lawyer (yours) $7,000 as a retainer for all of the work that they will do for you.

Lawyer (birth mom's) $7,000 as a payment for work that they have done and will do.

Advertising fee $2,500 This pays for placement of ads in the yellow pages, pamphlets at OB/Gyn offices, even billboards. This may seem high, but that is how lawyers get in touch with birth moms.

Birth mom costs $4,000 for lost wages, costs that they have incurred during the pregnancy, and travel to and from the lawyer and doctor. This can be higher if the birth mom has a high paying job.

Birth mom medical $4,200 this usually occurs if she has no medical coverage. Most competent lawyers will get a birth mom on Medicaid or some other assistance.

Nanny fees $500 for babysitting between the time the lawyer takes custody and custody is turned over to you.

So, that is $25,200 that you will need to come up with before you take custody. The actual amount associated with your adoption may be different, and you will usually be provided an estimate when your attorney contacts you to ask if you want your profile sent.

StacieG

As long as you don't show that you're irresponsible with your finances (things get paid in a timely manner), it shouldn't count against you. A cushion in the bank in savings would be in your favor, but we had very little in savings when we adopted & even less when we started doing foster care.

don't be nervous. They're not there to nitpick. They're there to see if your home and famiily is a safe and nurturing one for a child. They're not going to do a white glove test, they'll make sure you observe general safety guidelines (your home is not unsafe, etc.) and that you have enough space for an extra person in your home.

Gabby_Gabby_Purrsalot

they'll tell you it doesn't, but I'm pretty sure we'd have kids already if we were better off. if we could afford it, we'd go international already.

Still Me

Some agencies/Social Workers will run your credit, some will not. All will look at your bank statements and savings statements to see if you are able to:

1. Pay all of your bills, expenses and debt.
2. Have enough money for emergencies.
3. Have enough money/income to sufficiently raise a child well.
4. Have the finances to cover all the adoption expenses.

Do you have to be wealthy, no! But you cannot live paycheck to paycheck. Otherwise, you cannot pay the adoption fees or emergency expenses, or have any cushion.

Generally speaking, most families who adopt privately make $70,000+, and those adopting through the state make $50,000+.

Each Social Worker has her/his own standards to go by, based on the state you live in, the agency you are adopting from, your debt to income ratio, your assets and your lifestyle.

I hope that helps! Good luck, and don't worry!

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