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Originally Posted By Graham

Hi Yvette, you absolutely need to attend adoptive preparation classes and read everything that's recommended. Two great sites are homes4kids.org and the "National Adoption Information Clearing House" (type that into your search engine including the quotes to get the url). Do you really want the truth about what adoption social workers are looking for in a home study? It's not really the condition of your fire extinguishers....it is of course what sort of resource you and your family will be for a waiting child. But underlying that is a more basic purpose. It's to catch people who have borderline personality disorder, or who have the propensity to molest or to physically abuse when under stress. It's also to ensure that a child does not get placed with a person who will give up under stress and be unable to complete their commitment. Any respectable agency will work with you as a partner in meeting your parenting goals, but the worker's number one responsibility is the protection of the child. That's what adoption workers are trained to do. That's why licensed agency adoption makes sense and private or facilitated adopted does not. And I'm sure I just started a new thread! Hang in and you'll learn so much that will empower you....
Graham.