The Home Study: To be found eligible to adopt a child in the US or abroad (and bring the child into the United States), you must complete a home study. A home study is a review of you, your family and your home environment. For international adoption, it assists U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), as well as a foreign country's adoption authority, in determining whether you and your home environment would be suitable for a child. Colorado law requires all Colorado families preparing to adopt to have a current approved family Home Study from a licensed child placement agency such as  Adoption Home Studies of Colorado. This Home Study is the foundation of every adoption.

A Collaborative Effort:  AHSC views the family Home Study process as an important educational experience in which you build a relationship with a professional adoption social worker who is trained on the issues of adoption. You will discuss your childhood and life experiences, your marital relationship (if married), your personal strengths and weaknesses, and your dreams for the future, among other topics. It is helpful to think of the process as a cooperative effort between you and your adoption social worker in which they will openly and honestly assess who you are, what you want, your ability to successfully parent and whether adoption is a good idea for you at this time.

The Process:

• Fill out an Application of Home Study and Adoption Services - Click Here
• Once the application is approved AHSC will provide you with a list and samples of documents to gather for the home study. 
• For your international adoption, we require you to provide the name and contact information of your licensed agency so that we can complete an interagency agreement. They will also need to review the home study and will be mentioned as your placement agency in the home study. 
• After you gather the documents needed for the Home Study, AHSC will schedule your first of three to four visits with the social worker.
• When all required documents and clearances are received and interviews are completed, your adoption social worker prepares a written family assessment and submits it to the Placement Supervisor for final review.
• The Placement Supervisor will review your family assessment with the supporting documents and then will advise you as to whether the agency will be able to place an adoptive child in your home.

The Timeline: Much of the timeline depends on how quickly the client provides ALBB with the necessary documents required for the home study, and this includes background clearances. Some states issue those quickly within a week or two, some states (Texas and Colorado to name two of several) take several months. Once we receive all documents it may several more months, on average, to complete a family Home Study assessment. This includes meetings with the social worker, the written assessment, a review of the home study by your placement agency, the State of Colorado's review team, and Hague review team (for Hague adoptions). Expedited services are available on a case-by-case basis for an additional fee, please inquire. 

Education: As part of a prospective adoptive parent's preparation for adoption, pre-adoption education is required that will help make your adoption and adoptive parenting experience go smoothly.  The Colorado Department of Human Services requires 16 hours for Colorado parents adopting in the US, and 24 hours of training for Colorado parents completing an inter-country adoption.  To learn more about the pre-adoption education classes that AHSC offers, please click here.

Starting on an adoption journey is a very big decision and Adoption Home Studies of Colorado is here to help you every step of the way. For more information about adoption or the Home Study process please contact us. Our phone is 303-333-1572 and email is info@bbinternationaladoption.com.