Introduction

The laws of every State require all prospective adoptive parents to participate in a home study.

This process has three purposes:

• Educate and prepare the adoptive family for adoption
• Evaluate the readiness of the family and the home
• Equip the parents with information and tools to help them bond with their child

Adoptive parents can face the home study experience with confidence and excitement as they wait to bring their special child home.

It may be helpful to remember that agencies are not looking for perfect parents. Rather, they are looking for a good match between a child’s needs and a family’s ability to meet those needs.

Specific home study requirements and processes vary greatly from agency to agency, State to State, and (in the case of international adoption) by the child’s country of origin. They are also subject to change.