A home study is a necessary step in adopting a child in Georgia.
Adopting a child can be a joyous but extensive process. A home study is a process consisting of a series of interviews and applications to help the adoption agency familiarize themselves with you as an adoptive parent. A home study will help the agency match you with a child who fits your lifestyle. You may also need to attend various trainings and meetings during the course of the home study to orient yourself with the entire adoption process.
Background and Basic Information
Extensive background information will be collected by a social worker through interviews and an adoption application. Educational and employment information with your income level will be required. You will need to provide the social worker with your religious beliefs, whether you are practicing or not. Discussion of your neighborhood (e.g. safety, community activities and schools) and how active you are within it are part of the home study.
Family Structure and Relationships
You will be required to discuss your childhood, current and past relationship issues with your own parents and siblings, and significant childhood events. You will need to talk about the structure of your childhood home (e.g. if your parents were together or divorced or how your family functioned), as well as the current structure your family has. Your parenting style will be addressed, and you will be asked about your discipline methods.
Daily Life and Routines
You will need to provide the social worker doing your home study with details about your daily routine. This will include how long you spend at work, if you eat dinner as a family every night, how you spend your free time and weekends and your social life details. This will be important in your home study for determining how a new child will fit in with your existing family life. You should discuss how you deal with stress and unwind, as well as your exercise routines and how you plan to fit a child into your daily life.
Readiness for Adoption
You will be asked to talk about why you want to adopt a child at this point in your life. You will also need to discuss your reasons for wanting to adopt if you have other children, or talk about your feelings regarding infertility. You will be asked to talk about what type of adoption you would prefer (closed, open or semi-open) and your feelings about the child wanting to know her birth family. You might be asked about issues such as special-needs or international adoptions.
Documents
Potential adoptive families will need to provide documentation for criminal background checks, marriage licenses, birth certificates, divorce decrees, paycheck stubs and possibly medical records. You may be required to have a physical examination to determine you are in good health.
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