Home Study Process

Adoption Related Services, Inc. is licensed and accredited to provide services to families adopting domestically and internationally in both Hague and Non-Hague countries. This is an important fact to consider when choosing an adoption agency to complete your home study and provide adoption related services.
Call or email the agency for an application and Home Study Information Packet. We will email you the packet.
If you would like the agency to perform your home study, send in the application with the $100.00 non-refundable application fee. We will then email you the entire Home Study Packet. (Drop us an email to let us know that you will be doing so.)
The agency will review your application and will contact you if there are questions or concerns.
You will complete the home study packet gathering your documents for the home study. When you are ready for the social worker to perform the interview, you will need to send your documents, the signed home study agreement and the necessary fees to the agency. During the gathering of your documents and throughout the process, our staff stands ready to assist you with any questions or concerns that you may have.
If there are special requirements or additional documents or forms that need to be prepared by our agency, to meet the requirements of the country you are adopting from or your placement agency, if possible, we like to know before the home study begins. Depending on their complexity and amount, there may be additional fees associated with the request.
Your application will then be referred to an agency social worker who will call you to schedule an appointment to complete your home study interview. (See FAQ regarding home studies).
You can make as many copies of any of the forms in the packet as you need.
Your social worker will also be working closely with your placement agency or attorney, to ensure that the requirements for the state or country where the adoption will take place are met, as well as any requirements for training.
Our agency requires pre-adoption education. This is to prepare your family for the adoption process and to welcome your child into your family. Currently we are a variety of online education courses, in addition to articles and books. We will consider similar programs, or self study, tailored to your family’s needs as long as the program fits with your family’s particular adoption and meets the required hours of pre-adoption training. If you wish an exception to the education requirement, you must speak to the Executive Director. We will also consider training from your placement agency.
If you wish any original documents returned to you for use in your dossier, let us know by email and we will be happy to return them. When having documents notarized, particularly if you intend to use them for international adoption, please ensure that the date of the signature and the date of notarization are the same and are legible. Also, ensure that the notary’s seal is not due to expire within the next year.
Once all of the required documents and clearances have been received and the interview has been completed, your social worker will write the report. You and your placement agency will be sent a draft to review prior to finalization.
The home study is then finalized. You will be sent 4 notarized original home studies and a notarized copy of the agency’s license. Additional originals can be issued for a small fee.

*** The quickness of the time line depends on how quickly you return all of your documents, how flexible you are in scheduling the interview, and how quickly your clearances are processed and received. We advise that you submit your criminal and child abuse clearances immediately as it takes a few weeks for the state agencies to process them.***