Adoption Homestudy Services

As a licensed nonprofit adoption agency, Adoption Connection provides home study services to families who live throughout the 19 California counties in which we are licensed: Alameda, Amador, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Marin, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba.

If you work with an attorney or a professional facilitator other than Adoption Connection, we will be happy to provide a professional homestudy a-la-carte, to make sure you can get on with your adoption process in a swift manner. For more information, please call our Home Study Coordinator at 415-359-2491.

Homestudy Frequently Asked Questions

What is an adoption home study?

A home study is a written report for individuals and couples who wish to adopt. (If you are living in the US and want to adopt an infant or child getting a home study will be required.)

During the home study process, families will be requested to submit: autobiographical statements, employment and financial information, personal references, medical reports for all family members in the home, and criminal background clearances. The home study also consists of prearranged individual meetings between you and an Adoption Connection social worker. The social worker meets with the prospective adoptive parent(s) individually and together, with at least one visit taking place in the home.

What is the purpose of a home study?

The homestudy is not designed to exclude or “grade” participants, but to prepare prospective adoptive families for their adoption. Like all agencies, Adoption Connection takes its guidelines directly from state regulations, which licenses the agency to complete this first step.

How long does the home study take to complete?

From start to finish, a home study typically takes two to three months. An expedited home study can also be arranged if a birthmother’s due date is fast approaching.

What is required to pass a home study?

Many families considering adoption are concerned that the home study process will be uncomfortable, and passing the home study will take many months and mounds of paperwork. Not so! Although there is certainly paperwork, clients who have completed their home study tell us that they received valuable resources, personal insights, and support and feel better prepared to adopt a baby.

What if I’m working with an adoption attorney or other adoption professional?

Adoption Connection is happy to complete your required home study only. Once the home study is complete, it can be sent to your adoption attorney or adoption facilitator.

Who will I/we be working with on the home study?

The social workers assigned to complete home studies for our clients are all Adoption Connection staff—either licensed social workers (LCSW/MSW) or marriage and family therapists (MFT). They come to their work with rich personal and professional experience in adoption. In fact, some of them are former Adoption Connection clients who are now adoptive parents!

Must I own my own home to adopt?

No. During the home study, the social worker will be visiting your home, apartment, or condo.

What if I/we have additional concerns about health or background history?

We encourage families considering adoption to be as candid and forthcoming as possible with us about any concerns. Like all people, individuals and couples considering adoption come to this process with their own share of worries and foibles. Common concerns include criminal background history and/or health history. Contact us if you have any concerns about how this history might affect your home study process.

What do I have to do to get started on a home study?

The first step is to complete Adoption Connection’s home study application. You can either contact us to request an application, pick one up at an adoption orientation, or call Christina DeLeon, our Homestudy Coordinator, at 415-359-2491.

Is there anything I/we can do now to prepare for the home visit with a caseworker?

No. There is no preparation involved. The purpose of the home visit is to visit with you informally in surroundings in which you are most comfortable. There will be no white glove test or peering into closets, we promise. Baby proofing and setting up a nursery in your home are NOT required.

What if we have a match and need a home study really fast?

If an adoptive family is expecting its birthmother to give birth very soon, an expedited adoption home study can be arranged. We will make sure that your home study is completed and that you are legally prepared in a last-minute adoption.

What happens after I/we have been home study approved?

Once the adoptive family has turned in all of the required paperwork and the social worker visits have been completed, the home study culminates in a written report (approximately six to eight pages in length in an essay form).

When the home study has been completed, you are legally ready to bring an infant home. The home study follows the prospective parents through the course of the adoption. It is applicable to all infant open adoptions—not a particular birthmother situation or baby.

Our Adoption FAQ section will answer many of your questions

Click here to request a open adoption home study application