My husband and I are starting the adoption process?

we are most likely going to adopt from dhs/cps due to the fact that we do not believe that an adoption agency should make $30k off of an adoption. We have gone to an information meeting, still wanting to go thru with adoption from the State, What all can we expect from the homestudy?
Additional Details
To Roberta P- It is not that I believe that adopting a child should be completely "free" I believe in counselling the birth mother, paying professionals for their svcs. However, I think paying an adoption agency $5k when they are supposed to be "non profit" is a joke. Also, we are not set on adopting a newborn- an older child is fine with us and that is why we are going with dhs/cps/foster care adoption. That way I know that there is a reason why the child is not with it's birth family and I won't feel guilty carrying away a newborn child while the mother is walking away with empty arms (that is my own opinion, ofcourse) I also don't expect any adoption to be "free" not financially, emotionally, or physically. However, the more money you save upfront is more you can put towards your childs future.

mark w

Homestudies are generally not too complicated. I speak from experience, since we adopted twice.

Parts of the study are very basic. Your home is examined (usually very quickly) to make certain its a safe and suitable place to raise kids. Than it gets a little more involved. The social worker will ask many questions about your marriage and relationship to your spouse. She/he will ask about your motivations to adopt. A competent social worker is simply trying to weed out the worst cases such as pedophiles, drug abusers, and people with severe mental problems. Part of the homestudy is a BCI (background criminal investigation) simply to make sure you are not a convicted felon who might pose a danger to a child. If you have been married more than once, you will be questioned about this. If you suffer from any diseases or health conditions, the social worker will expect full disclosure (although this would seldom disqualify you).

Homestudies need to be updated every year or two. So, if you fail to adopt within this period of time it may be necessary for a social worker to come and see you again.

Good luck. We feel very lucky and fortunate to have adopted two wonderful children!

sunny

I agree 30K to an agency and attorneys is vile, especially when many mothers need just a little help to keep her child.

Why not adopt from foster care?

Isabel

DHS/CPS means Department of Health Services and Child Protective Services.

Ern

Theyre going to check your water heater to make sure it doesn't get too hot or its not set too low.
Theyre going to check where all the toxic chemicals are kept, so best bet is to put them up high where a kid cant reach.
They check for clutter and any safety hazards in the back and front yards as well as in the house.

If you dont meet the requirements right away, they tell you what you need to change and then they come back in a few weeks.

AdoreHim

If you are going with the state= expect to wait months or years. When my hubby and I started the adoption process about 21 years ago, the state told us that it would be a least a 7 year wait. I would suggest that you call an attorney that specializes in adoptions. I don't think they are as expensive as you say, however, I could be wrong because our last adoption was almost 16 years ago, and we have a 19 year old as well.

countryboy

No, I don't believe any adoption agency should make a great deal of money, only the amount needed to maintain a resources for children to have someone working for their benefits. Don't know how much reading your family has done toward getting information on adoptions, but they're far to many ways that they look good and are cheap with heart aches following, be careful.

Roberta P

Agencies don't make 30K off the adoption. That money goes to MANY people to do their job to approve you for adoption, counsel the birth mother(my agency requires this), provide medical care, legalize the adoption, etc. So you think social workers, lawyers, government officials, doctors, etc should work for free so that you can adopt for free? Do you do your job for free? I know I want to be paid for the job I do.

What is DHS/CPS?

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: