[jenjram]

OK. I am just starting out. I am adopting from China, but I know there are many more of you on these Guatemala boards and I need some California answers. I don't know a thing having just filled out my application for my agency.

My agency (CCAI) is in Colorado obviously, and I am in California and have to use a different agency for a homestudy. What is involved with paperwork that needs to go to the homestudy agency. I seem to have a grip on the dossier side of things, but now that I was talking to an agency today to get a packet for an application for a homestudy...silly 'ole me had no idea I have to send them all kinds of things, too. Can someone fill me in on what they get and what kind of legwork goes into that? Thanks!

Jen

[DesertMom]

Hi Jen and congratulations on signing with your agency. I don't know anything about how the China process works, but when we selected a social worker for our home study she sent us a list of items to have ready for her at the interview for her to review. We had a questionaire to fill out which was pretty lengthy about our personal history and reasons for adopting. We also had to prepare a notarized financial statement and show her our tax return for the last year. We also showed her copies of our birth certificates and marriage certificate. After the interview, she provided us with a short form for our doctors to check off re: our health. You will have to do another formal doctor's letter for your dossier, so just schedule one appointment and do them both at the same time. She also had us go for State fingerprints (we're in Arizona, but I'm sure they'll do some type of clearance on you in California). That's all I can remember for now. The homestudy is actually just one part of the dossier. I remember being so relieved when I got through all the homestudy info and then I got slammed with the packet from my agency for the dossier and wondering how I would get it all done. Good luck. I'm sure others will chime in with whatever I forgot.

[KellyMigoya]

Find out ahead fo time what you need for the homestudy and the dossier because alot of the documents are the same and you can kill two birds with one stone, like the medical, local fingerprinting, reference letters, etc.
Also get everything notarized as you go along, then just take them all together to the county to be certified and call the secretary of State office close to you, tell them what you are doing and they will askl for the name and numbers fo the notaries and have your state certifications ready when you show up and you can get it done right away!

[soon2bemom]

I know nothing about China, but I have just completed a homestudy for California and a dossier for Guatemala. You are going to have to duplicate many, many things. You will not be able to reuse forms for the most part. Each agency wants you to use their own form, and noone elses. There will be a California homestudy medical release, and a medical release for your international adoption agency. The forms will be different. For your homestudy release you will not need a notary, but for your international adoption agency you probably will. Your doctor will have to fill out both forms seperately, but he or she will be grateful to you if you bring them both to her or him on the same day. The same goes for your letters of reference. There will be letters of reference for your homestudy agency (not notarized), and for your international agency (probably notarized), but your friends will be grateful if you hand over both question sheets at once so they can deal with them both at once. There will be livescan fingerprints and child abuse check (for your California homestudy) and there will probably be a local police clearance with notarization and authentication for your international agency, and there will be USCIS fingerprints for the I600a. By the way if you are in the Los Angeles area the I600a will take a lifetime...(many months)...San Diego is much, much faster. The bottom line is that usually you will not be able to reuse forms, you will have to use different forms for your homestudy than for your international agency, but if you get a hold of both complete sets, at least you can do everybody a favor by giving them both sets at the same time. I hope this clarifies