The Homestudy

At the same time that you are getting your I-600A documentation together, you should be working on selecting an agency / social worker to perform your homestudy.

A homestudy is required by the INS, and must go with your dossier, but it must be performed by an agency / licensed social worker employed by a non-profit agency in your state. Therefore, the requirements for the homestudy are regulated fully by the state in which you live. These requirements can vary considerably.

Very Important: The CCAA will no longer accept home studies written by independent social workers. If your social worker is an independent social worker, you will need to switch to a social worker employed by a non-profit agency. It must be an agency (not an individual) and it must be legally registered as a non-profit entity.

During your homestudy, there must be no less than four (4) face-to-face meetings between the social worker and you, the adoptive parent(s). The home study must include the number of meetings, as well as the following information about each: the time, the place, and the method in which the social worker interviews you. (WC - what do we mean by method here?)

You have to select an agency that is authorized to perform homestudies in your state. Do some research, because the intensity and price of the homestudy can vary tremendously. World Child can conduct homestudies in Maryland, Washington D.C. and New York. Soon we will be licensed in Virginia and Mississippi. Even if you are not from one of these states, please feel free to check with us and we'll see if we've already worked with a specific organization in your state.

If we don't have a recommendation, we can see if there are other World Child families in your state who may be willing to share their experiences and suggestions. It's probably wise to use somebody who has successfully completed this process, especially if they've worked with us in the past. However, that is in no way a requirement, and the decision is entirely up to you.

As mentioned above, the cost can vary tremendously, so, if you are really on a tight budget, it may be worth your while to do a little more research. Overall, your best guide will be your heart. You will just "feel good" about the right agency / social worker, so don't be afraid to use that intuitive sense.

Homestudies can take as little as a month or as long as six months to complete. It has a lot to do with how quickly you want the process to move, and how quickly the homestudy agency can complete the requirements.

Important: It appears that more and more frequently, the longest part of the homestudy process is the Child Abuse Check, which, can can take as long as 3 months to complete. This is not required in every state, but where it is required, in many cases it takes longer than the INS approval.

Therefore, as soon as possible, have your social worker submit the Child Abuse request form. Also, see if there is a number and a contact to check on the status. The INS provides this service for the I-171H (the phone numbers and times you can call vary by INS office, but they should be in the paperwork you recieved), so it seems reasonable that the state should provide a similar service.

Send a cover letter with the Child Abuse request to let them know how important it is, and how much you appreciate their help in such an important event in your life. Include the phone number that you found, and the contact name, and write that you would like to call the number and person you've listed to check on the status. At least you may be able to increase their awareness of how important this part of the homestudy has become.

There are documents required for the homestudy, independent of those required for the INS, and for China. Some, as you see, are the same. Many are not. In most (if not all) states, the homestudy documents do not have to be notarized, or anything like that.

One more time, let's make this clear: the homestudy documents listed here are simply examples of those required to complete a homestudy. They are actually based on the requirements of a homestudy completed for a couple from Connecticut.

Because the homestudy is at a state level, the homestudy requirements have the greatest potential for variation. Therefore, please verify everything with your homestudy agency. If there is a discrepancy between what they say, and what you see here, they are correct.

Finally, at the beginning of your homestudy, please include a statement indicating that you have met all the pre-adoption requirements, if any, for your state of residence.

**Documents Required for your Homestudy**
Document/Fee	Copies	Comments
Letters of reference	3 - 5	The number required, and the actual format vary by agency. Some agencies will send out a form to the people you list. Others actually want a short (one page or less) letter. Each letter should include the author's name and address, how the author knows you, for how long, that you are wonderful people and would make fantastic, caring parents. The author should call you by the name used in the homestudy (James vs. Jimmy, for example).Click here for an example of what it could look like, or to download a sample letter.
Homestudy Fee	1	You will pay this to the homestudy agency (or adoption agency if they are handling it). This varies tremendously, from as low as $500 in some states to as high as $3,500 in others. There's is no clear explanation as to why the cost is so radically different from state to state. Generally, the entire homestudy fee will have to be paid before the homestudy is completed.
Well Water Test	1	If you use well water, many states require a test that indicates you water is "potable" and has the appropriate lead content. There appears to be about a million tests you could get, so check with you homestudy agency as to specifically what tests you need, since they can be expensive.
Birth Certificate(s)	1 each	These don’t have to be notarized or anything, and they can be copies. Often, a birth certificate is required for each family member, adults and children.
Evidence of Marital Status (marriage certificate, divorce degree, never married letter or death certificate of spouse)	1	As with your dossier, and the docs you send to the INS, you must provide evidence of your current marital status. This doesn’t have to be notarized or anything, and it can be a copy. This must be a copy of the actual marriage certificate, which you can get from the town office of the town in which you were married.
Child Abuse Check	1 for each adult in the household	This is a state requirement in more and more states, and seems to be the slowest part of the process. Bottom line - submit these forms as early in the process as possible
Certificate of good health	1 for each household member	This should be from a physician, on his/her letterhead, dated, and saying that you have a normal life expectancy, no communicable or contagious diseases, and that you are in overall good health. If you have a health condition, discuss it early on with the social worker and World Child.
Police Letter of Good Conduct	1 for each each member of the household between the ages of 18 and 80 inclusive.	This is a state police clearance. Your social worker should have the forms. INS requires this for each adult member of the household between the ages of 18 and 80 inclusive (in addition to the adoptive parents). Double check with whomever is doing your homestudy.
Criminal History Information Request	1 for each adult in the household	In Connecticut, this comes from exactly the same place as the above check, (don't know for sure what the difference is). Same as above, your social worker/agency should have the appropriate forms.
Past 3 years W-2 forms	However many you have	Just make copies of these. This is probably not a consistent requirement, but it's easy, so, be prepared. Also, will be required to bring these with you to China.