[EOBHerr]

My husband and I are just starting this exciting, overwhelming process and in thinking ahead I have a question about the home study. We have a pool in the backyard. Will we need to have it fenced in before our homestudy? Has anyone else ever encountered this? Thanks!

[DianeS]

It is unlikely that you will have to fence it before the first homestudy visit, but it will have to be fenced before your homestudy is approved (unless you qualify for an exemption for some reason).

Hardly anybody completely passes the homestudy the first time the worker comes out. Usually the first visit is spent discussing the things you still have to do before the worker comes out the second time.

[sak9645]

Homestudy requirements are highly dependent on your state's laws, and some homestudy agencies have more strict requirements than the the state.

In general, however, states and homestudy agencies will require that a pool be fenced. Drowning is one of the leading causes of death in children. And no matter how vigilant a parent is, it is very easy for a young child to get into a pool unnoticed.

I have worked and volunteered in a children's hospital, and know just how quickly a child can go underwater and wind up in an irreversible coma or dead. I have seen a parent's grief after doctors told him that nothing could be done to restore his toddler son's brain function, since the brain had been deprived of oxygen.

Many families also choose to put an alarm on their outside doors, so that the parents know -- because a buzzer sounds -- if a child has left the house. I have friends who have BOTH systems in place, since their home has a pool AND borders on a lake.

Fencing a pool can be expensive, but it is a worthwhile investment if you have, or plan to have, children or pets. And a door alarm (not to be confused with a burglar alarm) is also a good investment.

Before you start your homestudy, it makes sense to ask your homestudy agency what state and agency rules may affect you. You should be able to determine, very early on, what the rules are about pools, bedroom locations and sizes, fire extinguishers and other fire safety devices, and so on.

Sharon

[karla-k]

When we had our home study, she did not check for any safety features: smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, etc. She only specifically asked about a gate on the back fence.

Her report stated that the house would be child proofed before the child was home.

I thought it was very vague. This is just to say that not all home study guidelines are the same. As Sharon said, it probably depends on your state and the country you are adopting from. We had much more issue about how our chosen guardian paragraph was worded than anything about our actual house

[momraine]

A lot will also depend on your worker. When we were interviewing social workers (you are hiring them and you have a right to hire one you are comfortable with) We met one who had lost her own home to fire and so she was super into fire safety. She not only checked for smoke alarms and an escape plan and fire extinguishers, but she also insisted that cardboard boxes in our garage be replaced with plastic and stuff like that.
Honestly with the pool, trust me once you have that child in your arms you will want to do whatever is nessesary to protect them and little kids are sneaky little things and slip away from even the most vigilant parent and as someone else said, it only takes a moment for them to go under and it's usually silent.

[sak9645]

I was in DC when I adopted, but now live in Maryland. In Maryland, there is a required safety inspection by the fire department, that includes smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, an escape plan for upper story bedrooms, and so on.

Sharon