Home Study
The Home Study is a study of the prospective adoptive family and their home, life experiences, health, lifestyle, extended family, attitudes, support system, values, beliefs, and other factors relating to the prospective adoption. This information is summarized in an adoption study or home study report. The home study includes an interview with the intended adoptive parents, records checks of the department’s central abuse registry and criminal records correspondence checks through the Department of Law Enforcement, an assessment of the physical environment of the home, a determination of the financial security of the intended adoptive parents, documentation of counseling and education, documentation that information on adoption and the adoption process have been provided, documentation that information on support services available in the community have been provided, and a copy of each signed acknowledgment of receipt of adoption disclosure.
A detailed checklist will be provided during this process so that the adoptive family will always be aware of the steps they have completed so far and the documents remaining that need to be processed.