[ChromaKelly]

I am so nervous about the homestudy! What was yours like? How many references did you have to have? Any rules about pets? We have 7 cats, as I used to do animal rescue. I have never had any issues with the cats and my children, no one's even been scratched. My house is clean and honestly, they won't even know that there are seven cats here, only three of them appear when strangers are over.
Can you find out what the requirements are in advance, so you can make sure you meet them?

[tomandcate]

Hi ChromaKelly,

Our agency gave us a "home study outline" that told us everything that would happen during the home study, including the types of questions she would ask. I would ask your agency or social worker if something like that is available.

Cate

P.S. We had a large Rottweiler during our first adoption (he died shortly after) and it was not a problem.

[minibus]

I don't think there are "requirements" per se. My understanding is that it's just the worker making sure that your house is safe and habitable. Put away the gun rack and all the empty beer kegs and you'll be fine.

We had to have six references. We have four cats and she didn't blink an eye about that. (In fact, we talked about her pets.) We have a huge cat tree and a huge scratching post in our living room, as well as pee pads down because one of our cats has peeing issues and it didn't phase her at all.

Our worker did a quick walk through of our house and checked out our yard, that was it for the home inspection. It's not as bad as you're worried about!

[Ann07]

We only had to have three referrences, but I had additional letters of support that I gave my social worker. You can always ask about the cats, but I think you will be fine. What I would do is make sure everything is clean and your litter box is put away (in a closet etc.)

On the other hand I would be a little worried about having a newborn and seven cats. I don't know if you plan to adopt a newborn, but cats can cause some problems for a new little one. I would have a plan for them when you bring your baby home. Maybe they are kept only on the second floor etc. Or maybe they could live with a relative/friend for a while. I would also let your social worker know of your plan.

We have a cat and decided that she would live at grandma and grandpa's untill our little ones are a year old. Also my DD's birth parents asked what we were planning to do with our cat as they knew of the dangers. (we included a picture of her in our profile) Just something to think about......I know some will disagree with me and I don't think you need to get rid of them as they are part of your family. I just think you should safegaurd your house for a new little one.

If you are planning to adopt an older child I don't think there would be any problem!

[Celesyee]

Our HS was originally conducted by Hawai'i DHS as we were going to foster-adopt. It was spread over looong 2 visits and included joint interviews with DH and I as well as solo-interviews w/ me, DH, and MIL (as she lives w/ us). She asked all sorts of questions from who manages the money, decision-making, and even asked if we had healthy sex lives. I still don't understand what that was about!!!

She did a walk-through of our house, made sure we had dangerous and hazardous items out of children's reach, smoke detectors and fire extinguishers in place, and played w/ our 2 small dogs. She even picked them both up to see how they would react to "strangers" in the home.

Don't worry...it's not nearly as bad as you think! Good luck!

[ChromaKelly]

Originally Posted by Ann07

On the other hand I would be a little worried about having a newborn and seven cats. I don't know if you plan to adopt a newborn, but cats can cause some problems for a new little one. I would have a plan for them when you bring your baby home. Maybe they are kept only on the second floor etc. Or maybe they could live with a relative/friend for a while. I would also let your social worker know of your plan.

We have a cat and decided that she would live at grandma and grandpa's untill our little ones are a year old. Also my DD's birth parents asked what we were planning to do with our cat as they knew of the dangers. (we included a picture of her in our profile) Just something to think about......I know some will disagree with me and I don't think you need to get rid of them as they are part of your family. I just think you should safegaurd your house for a new little one.

If you are planning to adopt an older child I don't think there would be any problem!

We have two and half year old twins (bio via IVF) so we've already brought home newborns to our cats (same seven cats). They were fine. It took some a little bit to adjust to not having so much attention, but I think actually having a lot of cats was better than just one. No one cat was the center anyway.

[Tigger2]

Our homestudy went fine- I was nervous, but didn't need to be. Clinician did a walk through, checked to make sure we had smoke detectors and a fire extinguisher and place for baby to sleep. We have 3 dogs, agency just wanted to know if their shots were current.

We did have interviews prior to our home visit. One together and then we met individually. During the interviews we went over the 120 item questionnaire that we each had to complete. : )

As for references- we were required to have five.

Good Luck, try to relax and be yourself. it will go just fine.

[xxsurroundedbyxy]

You will have to have all the cats vaccinations up to date (such as rabies) and proof of such.

First visit is usually just a walk-through and they will tell you what changes if any need to be made and give you a checklist.

Kim

[ericamhc]

Yeah they make it pretty clear what changes need to be made if any, going through a checklist with you that you probably get in advance anyway. They check things like fire extinguishers and safety gates, that cords are out of reach, that your water heater is turned down so the kids can't burn themselves, etc. And what isn't already done you agree to have done later for them. The homestudy questions they ask aren't hard but very personal - be prepared to answer any question about your childhood, sex life, hobbies, interests, mental health, past losses, etc. Also, I spent three days scrubbing my home to a shine and I'm not sure the worker even noticed - apart from safety issues, she wasn't concerned, and there was definitely no white glove test!

As to references, we had to have a family member from both sides, and four friends.

Try to relax, the homestudy is not to rule you out as resource parents, but simply helps you prepare for adopting, by ensuring all the safety needs are met and that you are aware of any existing issues, what support you have, and whether this is really a good choice for you. I know one of the women taking PRIDE classes with us right now has many cats because she does rescue as well.

The advice offered to me was to just act as if the homestudy worker is a really good friend - be welcoming, offer her refreshments, and be willing to talk with her about anything, share jokes, and have some fun. I imagine it depends on the worker but I really found ours was wonderful, and we were happy to invite her in.

[Empty_Nest]

We were nervous with the first one, too. The second one, not so much. By the third one, we were past the point of worrying if there were dirty dishes in the sink or dog hair on the carpet. Our worker that time around was a career woman with seven kids of her own, and I felt pretty confident she had seen a messy house before. There were never any issues. As long as the house isn't a health hazard in some way, you're fine.

We had a German shepherd during all three studies, and no one ever remarked about her. We had some cats, too, but only one of them ever attacked a social worker, and that was a worker from CPS who was there harrassing us about false abuse allegations, so no harm done.

All of the adoption workers wanted to see where the new kids would be sleeping, and they talked about the usual stuff.

I think we needed three or four references, who could could not be related to us.

Just use common sense and you'll be fine.

Our first worker told us the families she always worried most about were the ones whose houses were so fussy and immaculate, she wondered where there was any place for a kid to be a kid.

[jjlutefisk]

Our homestudy update visit was last night! It was a new social worker, though. Of course, when I went down to open the door for her, our dog snarled at her. He kept jumping on her. I was mortified! Then when she was sitting on the couch, she became his best friend.

I didn't go crazy cleaning the house this time. It was just how it usually is but maybe a little more organized. She just sat on the couch in the living room and we all chatted. It was very relaxing and a friendly atmosphere.

My advice is: Relax, be yourself, and breathe. You'll be fine.

We had to have 4 reference plus references from the school for our kids in school. Medical forms from our doctor, state clearances and fingerprints. Not every state requires fingerprints.

Good luck!

[akcskye]

When we had our homestudy, we had 9 cats and 1 dog.

The homestudy worker tried to say there was a strong odor of cat urine in the home, which there never was...but she was SO insistent on it, we eventually ended up ripping out the carpet (it was over 30 years old anyway) and even then, she still tried to say there was "some" odor left and asked us if we'd "move" if it meant having our kids.

We said "NO" this place does NOT stink...she left it in the homestudy but our worker and her boss had both come over and verified there was NO pet smell at all...so they amended the homestudy to say they felt the HS worker was going over the top and seemed to have an agenda about it...so that took care of us.

She was a wench in several different ways...she came with pre-conceived notions about us being we're just middle class (while she drove up in a $75k vehicle)...but anyway...even with all that headache...we were matched and finalized and enjoying the life of being a mom and a dad for almost 2 years now.

The main thing that had to be done with the cats and dog was rabies vaccinations...we had to have PROOF of that.

Other than that, it was fine.

[meghann]

Ours was easy-peasy - I was nervous as well. My biggest issue was that we have quite a large debt left over from our fertility treatments, and I hoped they wouldn't hold that against us. Turns out I had nothing to worry about - we double-pay on our debt every month, so our income more than covers it, and their issue is that they want to make sure you're financially capable of supporting a child.

Our agency made a big deal about the fact that they *want* to pass you on your homestudy - so you shouldn't be nervous. They're not looking for things to "get" you on - they're making sure your home is safe, your health/mental state/relationship is healthy, your background is clear, etc.

I expected our caseworker to have concerns about our house - it's a 100-plus-year-old fixer-upper - but she didn't. I imagine if we had holes in the floor or the ceiling was caving in or something, she would have, but in spite of all the work we're doing (and in some cases because of it, heh), our home is safe. She did give us some tips about baby-proofing & made sure we had smoke detectors on every floor & that we had a CO detector & whatnot.

I'm sure if you asked your agency they'd give you a rundown of their requirements. They want you to pass the homestudy, so I'm sure they'll give you whatever information you need. Think of it less like a pop quiz and more like an exam that the examiner *wants* you to be prepared for.

[zempagirl]

Our homestudy was relatively easy. We sat down and talked about other topics like discipline, routine, talking about adoption to our child, what we envisioned our child lifes would be like. It was a super discussion. We had 3 dogs at the time and she was okay with that. Then we showed her around our home and showed her the baby's room. So I wouldn;t worry about your animals per se. I think the social workers just want to get a feel for the environment in which you live in and also make sure it is safe. Good luck!

[chickymum]

Do not stress about the hs. Nobody says "too many cats, DENIED". If there is anything that they are unhappy about they will let you know and together you can work out a solution that suits both of you.

KRISTI: I am soooo sorry for you. There is nothing like a SW on a power trip. At the time it must have been a little traumatising. Glad to hear you had some back up!