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 We frequently counsel persons who are
interested in private adoption to assist them in searching
for and finding an opportunity to build their family
through adoption. This usually begins with the preparation
of a pre-placement investigation report by a social
service agency. This report is commonly known as a "homestudy,"
although the purpose of the report is to do more than
examine the home in which a child would be raised after
placement occurs.
A good "homestudy" will provide the
prospective adoptive parent(s) with more information about
adoption than what is asked of the parent-to-be. The
social worker will, of course, investigate the couple and
determine whether they are well-adjusted, ready to parent,
financially secure (although "wealth" is not a
prerequisite or requirement), and devoid of an
inappropriate criminal history or police record. The
social worker will draw out the parent-to-be's self-image
and biographical information to determine parenting
strengths and weaknesses, and, generally, determine
personality traits and qualities. The social worker should
also, however, provide significant information about
adoption to the prospective parent(s), so that the journey
through the adoption experience will be as informed as
possible going forward.
We encourage our clients to engage the
services of a good social worker and agency to prepare
this homestudy to establish a good foundation for the
adoptive parent(s)' life-long education process in the art
of successful adoption.
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