[jessibird]

Is it normal to receive a copy of your homestudy once it is finalized?? Ours is done and our SW is sending it to immigration with our I800A today, but we have not seen it yet? I am sure the content is ok, but it would be nice to know what it says KWIM? Should I just ask to see it if she does not forward a copy to us?

Thanks!

[BrandyHagz]

Don't assume.

Ours was a MESS for my son's step parent adoption. Holy Cow...I can't imagine what it would have been like if the judge would have seen it.

You should be able to 'fact check' your home study - no one is above error.

[kindredspirit]

You should not only request it but you have the right to see it before it is given to anyone. Even though I had a great report, there was incorrect information.

[DPline]

I agree. I would insist on looking it over. Ours had many errors that needed to be corrected.

What country did you decide on?

[sak9645]

Traditionally, agencies did not allow families to see their homestudy reports. They felt that it might compromise the social workers' objectivity, since the families might pressure them to make inappropriate changes.

However, practices are changing. While some agencies continue not to let families see their homestudy reports, many now allow them to see the reports and make corrections of fact.

I had an agency that did not allow the clients to see their reports until after they adopted. I must say that I was worried, as I know how important the homestudy can be, not just to the USCIS and state, but also to the foreign country.

Fortunately, I needn't have worried. My social worker was absolutely outstanding. I saw only one non-material error in my fairly lengthy report. Spelling was perfect. Content was beautiful -- really presented me well. As an example, it made a point of emphasizing that I came from a long-lived family, which was important since I was 51 and single when my daughter came home, and I had worried that I might not be granted a child, especially a young child, because of my age.

Sharon

[rykyki]

Just a quick note and I can only speak to New Jersey, but licensed agencies are required to provide the prospective adoptive parents with a copy of the completed home study. Further, if the agency is not approving the home study client, the agency is required to meet with them to outline the reason for the disapproval.thius is as per NJ Manual of Standards for licensed NJ adoption agencies.

[jessibird]

Thank you! I actually emailed her and she replied back saying she is sending us a copy of the HS asap.
Debbie, we decided on China and the special needs program. We decided that we were not really looking to have another "baby" and an older child (ages 2-4) would fit us perfectly.

[DPline]

Congratulations! May everything go smoothly for you!

[karla-k]

We received a rough draft via email and were able to make corrections (which there were many to make.)

After the final was done, we received 3 copies of it: one for our own files, one for our dossier to be apostilled, and one for USCIS.

Karla

[sak9645]

Up until fairly recently, it was NOT customary for agencies to allow families to read their homestudy reports. When I had my homestudy done, in 1995/96, I was not permitted to see my homestudy report while the adoption was in process, although I did get access to it subsequently. My agency was very traditional, and some agencies had already begun allowing families to review their reports before they were submitted, but mine had not yet moved in that direction.

The traditional thinking was that social workers should be free to exercise their clinical judgment without pressure from anyone. There was a feeling that, if parents could read their homestudy report, social workers might be less candid -- and might be pressured by prospective parents to make inappropriate changes.

Today, most agencies -- but not all -- have decided to allow families to read their homestudy reports before submission. They believe, first of all, that factual errors -- which are occasionally made by a busy social worker, and which a family is likely to find quickly -- SHOULD be corrected, before they wind up causing problems at the USCIS or in a foreign country or at the state level. As an example, suppose that a social worker writes that a couple was married for four years, when the couple was actually married for five years. Since the couple's marriage certificate says five years, this could cause confusion. And, of course, some countries have a five-year length of marriage requirement.

Some adoptive families believe that factual errors, as well as terrible writing, are very common in homestudy reports. These families point to misspellings, poor grammar, and so on. They feel that such shoddy workmanship should also be corrected before a homestudy report is sent out, because it can bias readers against them. Most homestudy agencies do not have a problem with a family pointing out such errors.

Some families also note that the homestudy report is, in some ways, a "marketing" document, that presents them to adoption authorities in way that will affect the sort of child they are referred, as well as whether they are referred a child at all. As an example, they believe that a homestudy can emphasize an older person's activity level, health status, and family history of longevity in a way that makes foreign governments more comfortable in referring a young child.

And here is where the "grey area" begins. Is it appropriate, for example, for a family to say that the homestudy worker should have made more references to the 50 year old husband's weekly tennis games and other physical activities? Is it appropriate for the family to ask for information to be included about the ages at which their parents and grandparents have died?

And what about the person who says something like the following? "This report criticises me for being a very private person. It suggests that I don't ask for help enough or have enough of a social support network, and will have trouble parenting. But I feel that I can be a good parent without doing those things, and that the homestudy worker is over-reaching by making negative remarks in areas that are not actual legal requirements. These statements should be taken out of the homestudy report."

The social worker in the above case will say that, in his/her professional judgment, parents -- married and single, but especially single -- absolutely must have a good social support system. He/she will point to many cases where adoptions disrupted because parents became overwhelmed and did not have any sources of support within their families or friends, or where support was needed to help a person through post adoption depression. He/she will also say that there IS a legal requirement for the social worker to note all issues that could affect a person's ability to parent successfully, and that, in this case, he/she has noted an issue that came up in mandatory parent preparation, which appears significant.

Agencies wrestle with these grey areas. Most will usually say that the families can correct factual, spelling, grammatical, and similar errors, but cannot change the findings, conclusions, or recommendations of a homestudy report. But conflicts do occur. And that is why some agencies either still do not allow families to read their homestudy reports or WISH that they didn't have to let families read them!

Other agencies, however, say that sharing homestudy reports with families has actually proved beneficial. In some ways, the homestudy report can be used as part of parent education, since it focuses both on a family's strengths and on ways in which the prospective parents can improve their ability to care for a child.

Wherever you come down on these issues, be aware that most, but not all, agencies do let you see your homestudy report. If you are worried about errors or tone, and feel that you absolutely must see your homestudy report, by all means ask, before you start the process, whether a particular agency allows it.

In my case, as noted above, I wound up choosing an agency for my homestudy and placement that did not allow families to see their homestudy report. I must admit that I worried greatly about this decision.

For one thing, I had some "negatives". I was almost 50 when I had my homestudy, and was 51 when my daughter came home. I wanted as young a child as possible. I was also a single woman. I lived in a small condo, though I could actually afford better and moved after my daughter came home. And although I had a wonderful network of relatives and friends, my parents were deceased and I had no siblings -- the classic family support network. I wanted a homestudy report to emphasize the positives and indicating the offsetting factors on the negatives.

I also happen to do a lot of writing. I know, as well as anybody, how words can influence. I was terribly worried that my homestudy report would not present me effectively, even if the homestudy worker viewed me very positively.

But I decided to go with the agency anyway. It had an amazingly good reputation in my geographic area, for high ethical standards and outstanding support to families. I liked the people I met there, and I liked the idea that it was close to my home and that I could keep in touch with the agency after my adoption, in case issues arose. I liked the fact that most of the people with whom I would travel to China would be from my geographic area, making it easy for me to get together with them before and after my adoption. And so on.

I must say that I had a wonderful adoption experience, despite delays caused by China's big Reorganization of 1996. And I truly have the child I was meant to have; she is a great blessing.

I got to read my homestudy report after my adoption was completed, and I must say that I was not disappointed in the least. My wonderful social worker did a marvelous job of presenting me to all concerned, and I found only one small, non-material, error of fact.

Now, I will say that I WAS able to influence my homestudy report in one way. When asked to do an autobiography as part of the homestudy process, I spent approximately three full days crafting it. It was much longer than required, but it was also full of images from my childhood and young adulthood that helped convey things like my relationship with my parents, my relationships with men, and so on.

I worked VERY hard on making the autobiography a good picture of my life. And it paid off. My social worker used large chunks from the autobiography in the homestudy report. And it was often my words, as well as the social worker's, that conveyed my activity level as an older person, my involvement with children, my interactions with family and friends, and so on.

If you choose to go with a homestudy agency that does not let you see your homestudy report, be sure to choose your agency and social worker carefully. Get references before signing up, just as you would with your placement agency (if they are not one and the same).

And participate actively in the homestudy. Don't treat the autobiography lightly. Make it the best presentation of yourself possible. This doesn't mean that you should mention only good things, or that you should lie. Sometimes, showing how you have overcome or dealt with a negative circumstance can be very helpful.

Before you meet with the social worker, think about the things you want him/her to know about you, and make sure that you highlight them. The social worker spends only a few hours with you. He/she may not pick up on those things unless you bring them to his/her attention.

If there are negatives, talk with the social worker about them and about how they will be presented. Make sure he/she understands why you feel they should NOT be considered problems.

In short, don't treat the homestudy as something that "is done" to you, or you could wind up with a homestudy report that does not portray you well at all. This is true whether or not you will be able to read the homestudy report before it is sent out. Be an active participant in your homestudy. You may actually learn things that will make you a better parent, and you certainly can influence how you are portrayed to the various parties who must read the homestudy report.

Sharon