Home Study & Qualifications

During the home study process, your social worker will evaluate your ability to meet the physical, developmental, emotional and educational needs of a child and will write a written report stating the social worker’s conclusions as to the characteristics of children which your home can safely accommodate and which you can best serve.

Bright Futures Adoption Center believes that the home study process is not just a time for analyzing financial capacity or the size of your home, but instead is a time for talking with you about your concerns as you build your family through adoption. Our goal is to make the home study process an educational and enriching process for adopting parents. The home study process is a time for adopting parents to discuss with Bright Futures Adoption Center and each other such issues as the type of child they are comfortable parenting, how and when they will tell their child their adoption story, what type of ongoing contact they might like to have with their child’s birth family, how they were raised and how they want to raise their child, and what their expectations are for a child.

Qualifications to Adopt

Home Study Checklist

In order to complete the Home Study process, the following documents must be submitted to Bright Futures Adoption Center for each adopting parent and for all household members age 15 and up:

Completed CORI/SORI (Criminal/Sexual Offender Record Information) clearance,

Completed FBI clearance, and

Completed Department of Children and Families Child Abuse and Neglect Clearance.

The above clearances will all be completed and reported to Bright Futures through the DCF computer system. You will need to follow instructions to go and be fingerprinted.

Two written references from people who are not relatives. Reference forms will be provided to you at your first Home Study meeting.

A written statement from a licensed physician regarding the health of each adopting parent and each other member of the household. Medical history forms will be provided to you at your first Home Study meeting.

School References for each child in the household who is currently enrolled in a daycare/school setting. Forms will be provided to you at your first Home Study meeting.

Employer Reference for each adopting parent who is employed outside the home. Forms will be provided to you at your first Home Study meeting.

A Certified Birth Certificate for each adopting parent and each other member of the household.

A Certified Marriage Certificate and Certified Divorce Decrees, if applicable.

A completed Financial Information Form and supporting documentation (e.g. 1040 Federal Income Tax Form). This form will be provided to you at your first Home Study meeting.

Adoptive Parent Home Study Questionnaire completed by each adopting parent.

Signed Discipline Statement.

Physical Standards Checklist.

Child Comfort Scale.

Home Study Process

The home study process takes a minimum of thirty (30) days to complete from the date of your first home study meeting with Bright Futures Adoption Center and typically takes several months. Your home study will involve:

A minimum of three in person interviews with your Bright Futures’ social worker;
At least two meetings in your home;
At least one interview with each adopting parent individually;
Interviews with all other members of your household, as appropriate to the age of the member of the household;
Determination of whether each adopting parent and household member age 15 and up has a background free of conduct which in the judgment of the evaluator bears adversely upon his or her ability to provide for the safety and well being of children. In making this determination, Bright Futures Adoption Center will consider whether the adopting parent(s) or other household member(s) have engaged in conduct which results in a supported allegation of abuse or neglect or his or her child being adjudicated in need of care and protection, and the adopting parent(s)’ or other household member(s)’ use of drugs or alcohol, criminal, sex offender or other history that would impair the individual’s ability to care for a child;
Inquiry into the adopting parent(s)’ previous experience with foster or adoption placement services, if any, and the outcome of such experience;
Inquiry into your motivation for adopting a child;
Assessment of the emotional stability and compatibility of the adopting parent(s);
Discussion of social, educational and health history of the adopting parent(s);
A description of your family composition, your home and the adjustment of your other children, if any;
Assessment of the family’s attitude toward accepting an adopted child, the family’s relationship with extended family, and the attitude of extended family toward accepting an adopted child;
Assessment of parenting ability, including attitudes toward child rearing and discipline, and the family’s willingness and capacity to parent children with behavioral or emotional problems;
Assessment of the adopting parent(s)’ attitudes toward parenting a child of a different racial, ethnic or cultural background, a child with a history/family history of substance abuse, mental health or medical disabilities, or a child of a different sexual orientation than the applicants, and the resources available to support the applicants in each case;
Assessment of the network of personal and community supports available to support the adopting parent(s) and child, following placement;
Assessment of the family’s attitude toward the birth parents of the child, and about visitation and contact, if applicable;
Discussion of the characteristics of children desired, including age, sex, abilities or disabilities, behavior, and characteristics of children the adopting parent(s) are not willing to adopt;
Assessment of the family’s expectations for a child, including the family’s plans to discuss adoption with the child;
Review of three written references;
Review of a written statement from a licensed physician regarding the health of each member of the household;
Review of birth certificates, marriage certificates and/or divorce decrees, as appropriate; and
Review of the applicant(s)’ financial ability to care for an adopted child.

As part of the home study assessment process and in keeping with Bright Futures Adoption Center’s mandate to act in the best interests of children, Bright Futures Adoption Center may find it necessary to independently verify information or seek independent expert assessment regarding aspects of the adopting parent(s)’ history or current lives. These inquiries might include, but are not limited to, criminal background, substance use, anger/violence, quality of the adopting parents’ relationship, relationships with adult children, significant medical issues, and mental health diagnoses. This information can be an important component of our determination about whether you can be approved to adopt a child and/or what child may be the best match for your family. For example, if you have a chronic medical condition for which you see a specialist, you will be asked to obtain medical references from your primary care provider and also the specialist; if you have a criminal history, you may be asked to provide police reports and court documents from the incident leading to the charge; or if you have a history of substance abuse, you will be asked to undergo an independent expert evaluation. If an independent expert assessment is necessary and there is a cost associated with that assessment, the cost shall be paid by the adopting parents.

All home studies are documented in a written report that will include Bright Futures Adoption Center’s conclusions regarding your ability to meet the physical, developmental, emotional and educational needs of a child or children, and Bright Futures Adoption Center’s recommendation as to the age, gender and characteristics of children which your home can safely accommodate and which you can best serve. A copy of the written report will be available to you within thirty (30) days after the last visit with your social worker.