[gwenrenee007]

Hi everyone,

We are considering doing foster care/adopt. I have no idea how to get started. We have a daughter that came home from Guatemala in June of 07.

Generally how different is the homestudy for foster adopt than a regular adoption home study?

How do we find an agency to help us? or do we go throught the state? We are in Michigan.

Any info would be great and helpful!

Thanks,
Gwen

[CaddoRose]

I'm not in Michigan, but in general you should contact your local Child Protective Services office and inquire with them. Then find all the agencies you can and contact them about their programs. When we started, we asked friends and got a contection to an agency that worked out really well for us. I also found info on the web. We are foster/adopt and our agency told us there is not difference between the two for the home study. When it comes to adoption, they will update our home study.

[Yash]

Generally how different is the homestudy for foster adopt than a regular adoption home study?
It's much more intensive. When I did my international homestudy it was very general. The SW looked around the house to make sure it was okay, but that was it.

With my foster care homestudy: the rooms were checked to make sure outlet covers were in the outlets; anything sharper than a butter knife was locked up; my water temperature was checked; SW checked to make sure all cleaning supplies were locked up; checked to make sure the fire alarms worked and the fire extinguisher was in place, etc. It all depends on what your state's requirements are. They will check for those things along with the usual interview process, like with your international homestudy.

How do we find an agency to help us? or do we go throught the state? We are in Michigan.
A co-worker found my agency in an ad they had placed in a trade magazine. I would look in the yellow pages or google foster care agency in your city. If your state allows it, I would use a private agency.

Best of luck, Gwen!

[dreamangel]

We are foster to adopt and everything but the kitchen sink was checked. I have a beautiful home in a beautiful suburban neighbor hood with great schools but they don't care (which is correct) they have to check to make sure no nuts cases are covering anything up. We had as follows

1. Classes
2. sent in application along with autobiography (LONG)
3. fingerprinted
4. BCI, FBI, county and Irish background check ( I was not living in the states until I was 26 so I had to get checked from 18yrs to 26 at home - police just sent me the report and I gave it to them)
5. TB test, and physical
6. references, more references and then more references.
7. Home fire inspection. This was a breeze my husband is a union firefighter!! they check smoke detectors, Co2 detectors, anything that may be of concern to them (we passed with our eyes closed)
8. psycological evaluation. Meeting with doc and then had to answer 640 questions (this is by state and county though)
9. first homestudy. Went through the house inside and out. checked deck height, rails on deck, creek out back, water temp inside, outlet covers, door handle covers, baby gates, stair rails, any pet shot records (especially rabies), home insurance, car insurance, health insurance (even though we get a medical card) birth certs, marriage certs, bedrooms and their sizes, nursery, we had to show we could accomadate the child age we are looking for and we did that along with a full kittedout nursery that didn't leave anything out and I mean there is nothing this little girls wants for.
10. second home study. Went to agency. Started going over autobiography. this was a 2 hour day maybe 3. they go over everything about you, your partner your family and theirs. High school, friends fromthe past, how you were raised, what relationship u had with your parents. Things you like and dislike, things in common with family members and each other. Love throughout your family and so on and so on.
12. 3rd homestudy visit at our home this time. 2-3 hours long going over the same stuff at the last meeting.
13. 4th visit at office. individual visits this time more of the same stuff AGAIN.
14. 5th visit this time at agency. another individual with the one of us who didn't go to the first meeting.
15. 6th Went over, all insurances, financial statements, health statements, and so on. By this time I was DONE.

16. 7th and final visit at office went over characteristics of the child we would like. and read over the policy and paperwork and all rules and regulations.

2 days after last visit we were approved!!!!! YAY and 5 days after that we had our license.

It is a very long process for some and not so long for others. Ths depends on your county and state. We have our foster daughter 3 weeks now and everything we went through was totally worth it. I pray every night she stays but I also pray her birth family are safe.

If this is what you truly want then you will stick it out because the benefits are amazing. Go to your local county childrens services they will show u the direction to go, they did me.