New Homestudy Requirements - Effective 2/1/2001

The CCAA , in an attempt to standardize the homestudies they receive has issued a NOTICE OF STANDARDIZATION OF ADOPTION APPLICATIONS AND DOCUMENTATION.

  Part of this standardization includes an explanation of the CCAA's expectations for the homestudy.  You can see the text of the CCAA's requirements here.
(You have to scroll down a bit to Part 8: The Home Study Report on the above web page, to read the homestudy section.)

We have summarized the significant changes below.

• 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.
  
  
• There must be no less than four (4) face-to-face meetings between the social worker and the applicants.  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 the adoptive applicants. (WC - what do we mean by method here?)
  
  
• We ask all social workers to use the utmost caution when conducting their home study interviews.  The CCAA has indicated that it will deny license to any adoption agency that provides "an irresponsible or false evaluation in a home study."
  
  
• The Homestudy must cover the following subjects:
  
  
  • Motivation of adoption - the reason the applicants decided to adopt and their decision to adopt from China; their understanding of inter-country adoption, the potential risk and delay in the adoption of perspective adopted child and the understanding and mental preparedness for the child's adjustment in the new home.  (nothing new)
    
    
  • Family background/brief introduction to the individuals. Detail the education, work experience, interests and hobbies, religion, spare-time activities and their relationship with parents and siblings.  (nothing new)
    
    
  • Marital status. A couple shall give their views on each other, their attitude toward marriage, their conflict resolution methods and their satisfaction within the marriage (nothing new)
    
    
  • The single adopters shall give their "appraisal of singleness, whether they will get married in the future, and attitude they will adopt toward their adopted children after marriage in the future" (WC - I'm assuming this is not new for single parent homestudies)
    
    
  • Divorced adoptors shall state the causes and times for the marriage dissolution (nothing new)
    
    
  • Children status: "Whether adopters have any legitimate children, children born out of wedlock and adopted children. If they have, they shall state explicitly the children's sex, age, interests and education; the children born in the previous marriage shall be mentioned as to whether they have ever lived together with the adoptive applicants. (nothing new)
     
    Children at the age of ten and above living with the adoptive applicants "shall clearly state their views on their parent(s) adopting a child from China."
    
    
  • Health status: The homestudy needs to clarify whether the adoptive applicants "have suffered from mental or psychological illness and whether these conditions will affect the raising of the child." The health status of the adoption applicants shall be identical with the Certificate of Health Examination and medical report specifically provided by the doctor. The social worker who prepares the home study report, shall make assessment of the health status of the adoption applicants as to determine whether they are suitable for adoption. (nothing new)
    
    
  • Family financial status: The adopters' income and expenses, other income from various investments, family assets, liabilities, living expenses, the situation of balance between income and expenditure shall be described in the family resources. The social worker who prepares the home study report shall make conscientious assessment of
    the financial capacity of the adoption applicants. (nothing new)
    
    
  • The homestudy should address whether there is any history of abuse or violence and criminal record. It includes whether the adoption applicant has any history of alcoholism, drug addiction, substance abuse, domestic violence, sex abuse, child abuse, etc. (even if there has been no arrest or conviction because of the behavior mentioned above), whether there is any criminal records (including arrests and conviction), whether there is any punishment and there is any sign of repentance and correction after punishment. The social worker preparing the home study report shall make assessment of the adoption applicant whether he/she is eligible to adopt. (nothing new)
    
    
  • Living Conditions. The adoptive applicants' "present situation of their residence, the area of their home and the environment in the community; the education institution, medical facilities and public service utilities, etc, especially the attitude of the community toward children from abroad." The description of the home must include the assessment of the living conditions for the suitability for the child and to determine whether such living space meets the requirements of the local government (if there are such requirements). (nothing new)
    
    
  • Plan for parenting. The interaction between the adopters and the child, their experience in raising, ways and means of parenting the adopted child; the adoptive applicants intending to adopt children of special needs or older children shall state clearly their mental preparedness and desire for the adoption and their ability suitable
    for parenting this kind of children. The social worker preparing the home study report shall make assessment whether the adoption applicants are suitable for the adoption of this kind of children in the light of their parenting plan. (nothing new)
    
    
  • If the applicants (husband and wife or singles) have someone living in the home who is not a member of the family, they must state the relationship between them and the reasons for cohabitation. (nothing new)
    
    
  • Single adoption applicants living together with someone of the same sex shall submit statement that both of them "are not homosexuals" and the social worker preparing the home study report shall make a  "reasonable, true and responsible assessment."
    
    
  • Single adoption applicants living together with friends of opposite sex "shall truly reflect the attitude of the heterosexual cohabitant friends towards their adoption from China and their relationship between the cohabitant friends of opposite sex."
    
    
  • A Guardian must be listed in each homestudy and the guardian's age, profession, marital status, the status of children, health and financial situation shall also be given. The social worker preparing the home study report shall make assessment whether the designated guardian is suitable for the guardianship/raising of the child.
    
    
  • The guardian designated by single applicants must present a statement in writing to give his/her consent to the guardianship of the adopted child.
    
    
  • There needs to be a statement of whether or not the adoption applicants have been rejected or have been a target of unfavorable home study before adoption. It includes whether the applicants have been rejected as perspective adoptive parents or given an unfavorable home study report.
    
    
  • If the adoptive applicants have been rejected before and or have been given an unfavorable home study report, please give reason for that with the rejection and attach a copy of the unfavorable home study report.
    
    
  • Assessment and recommendation. The social worker shall make an overall assessment of the adoption applicants as to whether they are suitable to adopt a child from China and suggestions for the most appropriate child request for the applicants. (nothing new)
    

Important: If your home study was not conducted by World Child:

Please ask your homestudy agency to contact Jane Palestini, World Child China's Document Manager at 515-225-6878.

Your homestudy agency will need to sign a non-binding agreement with World Child and we will then attach a copy of that signed agreement to the dossier.

You will need to submit the following information as part of the home study:

1. A copy of the agency's child placing license
   
2. A copy of their non-profit status
   
3. A copy of the agreement between World Child and the home study agency

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