[abigail]

HI, CAN YOU GUYS TELL ME ABOUT HOW LONG IT TAKES TO UPDATE A HOMESTUDY?? JUST CURIOUS. WE HAD OURS COMPLETED IN 96 AND HAD BEEN SUBMMITED FOR FINAL APPROVAL WHEN WE HAD THE OPPROTUNITY TO ADOPT PRIVATLY SO WE JUST PAID THE STATE FOR THE HOMESTUDY WHEN WE ADOPTED OUR LITTLE GIRL. ABOUT A YEAR AGO WE HAD GONE TO A ADOPTION FAIR AND THE HEAD OF THE STATE DEPARTMENT WHO DOES THE PLACING WAS VERY ENCOURAGING FOR US TO UPDATE, SHE TALKED LIKE THEY WERE READY TO PLACE WITH US RIGHT AWAY. WE DECIDED TO WAIT TILL HOLIDAYS OVER AND DO A COUPLE LITTLE PROJECTS BEFORE WE SENT STUFF IN TO UPDATE, SINCE THEY SEEMED TO BE WANTING TO PLACE QUICKLY. ANYWAY THEN WE GOT THE CALL FROM OUR DAUGHTER BMOM ABOUT ADOPTING AGAIN AND THE PROBATE JUDGE SAID SINCE THEY WERE SIBLINGS THAT HE JUST WANTED US TO DO A FOLLOW-UP HOMESTUDY AFTER PLACMENT. WELL AS YOU ALL KNOW THAT DIDNT GO THROUGH SO WE ARE WANTING TO GET BACK TO OUR ORIGINAL PLAN OF ADOPTING OUR SECOND CHILD. THE REASON I WAS ASKING. WHEN WE FIRST DECIDED TO ADOPT IT MAY HAVE JUST BEEN OUR SW BUT IT TOOK LIKE A YEAR AND A HALF FOR HER TO DO A TRADITIONAL HOME STUDY. THEN SHE ASKED US TO GO THROUGH THE GPS CLASSES(NEW WAY OF APPROVING ADOPTIVE PARENTS, SINCE WE HAD SHOWED A INTEREST IN POSSIBLY DOING FOSTERCARE). WE HAD STARTED TO GO THROUGH A PRIVATE AGENCY PRIOR TO STATE BUT WE WERE IN ALOT DIFFERENT PLACE FINACUALLY AT THE TIME AND FELT THE FEES WERE TO HIGH FOR US THEY SAID THE AVERAGE FEES FOR A MIXED RACE INFANT WERE ABOUT 13-15,000. SO WE WENT TO THE STATE. AT FIRST THE SW ACTED LIKE SHE THOUGHT WE WERE CRAZY FOR WANTING TO ADOPT ACROSS RACIAL LINES AND BASICLLY PUT US OFF AND THEN A COUPLE OF WEEKS LATER SHE CALLED AND WANTED TO" EXPLORE" THE POSSIBLITY WITH US. SO WE STARTED THE PROCESS. IT MAY HAVE BEEN BECAUSE OUR STATE DEPT. WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF SEVERAL LAW SUTES MOST OF WHICH HAD TO DO WITH RACIAL ISSUES. SINCE THEN THEY HAVE TOTALLY REVAMPED THERE PROGRAM AND ACTUALLY HAVE A OUTSIDE AGENCY DO THE CLASSES AND THEY EVEN HAVE A GREAT RESOURCE CENTER FOR ISSUES INVOLVED IN TRANSRACIAL ADOPTION. I GUESS IN A WAY I WAS KINDA NIEVE I GREW UP IN THE MIDWEST WITH MANY DIFFERENT CULTURES AND MY FAMILY IS MADE UP OF SEVERAL RACES AND CULTURES THAT WHEN WE SAID WE WANTED TO ADOPT A BLACK OR MULT-RACIAL CHILD IT WAS JUST A NORMAL THING IN MY FAMILY THAT I FORGOT AND SOMTIMES STILL DO THAT THAT IN NOT NESSARLY "NORMAL" FOR OTHERS. ESPECALLY WHERE I LIVE NOW. I KNOW I AM RAMBLING BUT I DONT HAVE ALOT OF PEOPLE WHO UNDERSTAND ADOPTION OUTSIDE MY FAMILY AND ISSUES INVOLVED,KINDA LOST CONTACT WITH MOST OF THE PEOPLE WHO WENT THROUGH THE CLASSES WITH US. I DONT KNOW SOMTIMES I FEEL LIKE WHERE I LIVE THEY ARE IN THE DARK AGES CONCERNING ISSUES OF RACE. BUT ANYWAY I KNOW WE WONT HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE CLASSES AGAIN AND FROM THE WAY THE LADY TALKED IT JUST BE A MATTER OF UPDATING OUR INFO. SO BACK TO MY ORIGINAL QUESTION ABOUT HOW LONG SHOULD IT TAKE TO UPDATE. SO THAT WAY IF THEY START DRAGGING FEET I WILL BE AWARE. I DONT THINK THAT WILL HAPPEN BUT WHAT IS NORMAL TIME FRAME TO UPDATE. I AM REAL EXCITED ABOUT GETTING STARTED. I GUESS BECAUSE THAT WAS OUR PLAN IN FIRST PLACE. I KNOW OUR STATE IS ALWAY SAYING THEY HAVE SUCH A NEED FOR ADOPTIVE PARENTS AND I GUESS BECAUSE WE HAVE ALREADY ADOPTED A CHILD OF COLOR SUCCESSFULLY AND ARE DOING WELL THATS WHY THEY SEEM TO WANT US TO UPDATE AND READY TO PLACE.

[lucyjoy]

The criminal/child abuse background checks take the longest. The faster your references are done, the faster the process moves. The rest can be don in one to two visists by the adoption worker. Our last update took 2 months because of the background checks.

[littleangel]

I think it depends on the state and the agency or social worker as to how long it all takes. If your last home study was in 1996, it may actually need to be redone not just updated (as most "expire" after 1-2 years). In our state, the homestudy MUST be done before placement, in other states (like CA) the homestudy can just be in the process (not necessarily complete) before placement. On average, 6 months is the number quoted, but it could be as little as 8-12 weeks to as long as a year. Ours is nearly done and I think it will come in at about 3 months--but we were very careful to follow up on ALL the things we could (like making sure all the background places had all the info they needed and our references were highly trusted and fast. Also, if your state requires fingerprints--I've heard that can take some time. Good luck