Should we send out our home study ?

Because we are posting families online, there has to be some system in place to assure that  the families that we post are licensed to adopt.  . The attorney or agency that is working with the expectant  mother that chooses one of our posted families  may require to see a copy of the home study , but they are regulated and may have a fiduciary responsibility to the potential adopting parents .

Yes , we do request proof of funds, but that is an easy fix as the family can redact out their account information and anything else that they feel is personal . After dealing with families that did not have the funds to move forward if they were selected , we had no choice but to require evidence that families were financially qualified to move forward with an adoption plan . 

We have had quite a few people protest about sending in a redacted bank statement , yet requests for  copies of  home studies have never been questioned . It may be noted that we  normally state that we need a copy of a current home study OR a letter from your adoption professional stating that it is current . It is the industry norm to require a copy of an adopting family’s home study in order to assist them . 

Home studies have so many personal details about a person , their marital relationship , how they discipline their children , their parents , how they were raised , whether they were ever arrested , their careers , finances , education , on and on . Things that we are not comfortable seeing . So then , why don’t we just not read it ? In truth , we have found home studies to be helpful in garnishing information when we have had to do a quick search to find out what state the families live  in or to obtain a phone number , or even to answer questions that were not found in their profile like ” who will watch the baby while they work ?” but generally speaking it makes us feel very invasive even having access to such personal information .

We  would never in a million years divulge anyone’s information . If you have sent us your home study , you are in safe hands , but many are sending their  home study to people all across the country on a regular basis . . Adoption facilitators , advertising services , consultants , pregnancy counseling centers   midwives , doctors offices .Many of these entities are unregulated and may have employees that will also have access to your entire life story . This is way too many people having  your detailed personal  information
We suggestion that , instead of sending a home study out to these adoption entities , you send a certificate or a letter from the agency that did your home study.

Some social workers give out a certificate that shows that their home study is approved , and that is even better . Make sure that it states the age , race , any medical conditions  etc of the child that you are approved to adopt , or send that information separately . If you get to the point where you are chosen by an expectant mother and  are in the process of hiring attorneys or a licensed child placement agency to handle the adoption , then send out your complete home study. Until then , try to send it as sparingly as possible and opt for another form of evidence of approval .