WHAT IS A HOME STUDY?
The Adoption Home Study is an internationally accepted document which
evaluates your family according to the criteria established by the US
government, the country where you are seeking to adopt, the country where
you are currently living and the Hague Adoption Convention. If you meet
all of the criteria, the Home Study will be issued, and it will state
that you have met all of those standards just listed and that you are
approved to adopt a child or children from the country you have chosen.
The Home Study describes your own family background, your health, your residence, your criminal history, education, career, financial status, and your ideas about raising children. The Home Study includes an assessment and recommendation of you as adoptive parents. The report is based upon the information you give in your questionnaire, in your documents and during the Home Study visit. All information must be documented and in written form.
The writing of the Home Study will only begin after all required visits and meetings with me are completed and after all required and requested documentation has been submitted to me.
You will have the opportunity to review the final draft of the Home Study before it is issued to check for the accuracy of all of the information.
The Home Study will be reviewed and approved by you, by Illien Adoptions International, Inc. and by the Sponsoring Agency for your adoption before it can be issued.
IS THE HOME STUDY NECESSARY?
Yes, a Home Study is required for all
adoptions, whether domestic (USA) or International.
ARE YOU LICENSED? ARE YOU HAGUE APPROVED?
I am licensed in the District of Columbia, USA, and the Republic of Ireland.
I am employed by Illien Adoptions International in Atlanta, Georgia. Illien
Adoptions is a fully Hague approved, US licensed international adoption
agency with a variety of programs in different countries. www.illienadoptions.org.
Together with Illien Adoptions I am able to work with many different agencies,
but all of my Home Studies are issued by Illien Adoptions International,
Inc. Since 1990 I have worked with couples and singles and a variety of
agencies, both public and private. All of my Home Studies meet all of
the international requirements. There are some different requirements
for a Home Study for an adoption from a Hague country as opposed to a
non-Hague country, however, all of my studies will be completed according
to the requirements of the Hague Adoption Convention. Depending on residency
status, American families may also be required to comply with the requirements
of their current country of residence. This requirement must be clarified
and satisfied before starting the Home Study process.
WILL YOUR HOME STUDY BE ACCEPTED BY THE AGENCY THAT I AM WORKING
WITH?
Yes, Illien Adoptions International, Inc. can work with any licensed US
adoption agency and must have a Provider’s Agreement signed with
your placing agency before the Home Study can begin and
before any fees are paid. This is currently a standard procedure for Hague
or non Hague adoptions.
WHEN SHOULD THE HOME STUDY BE COMPLETED?
The time frame for the completion of the Home Study depends upon the following:
your application for the Home Study must contain complete information
and all of the required documents and parent education must be completed
before the writing of the study can begin.
Your placing agency must complete the appropriate provider agreement and
return it to Illien Adoptions. All requested and required criminal background
checks and child abuse clearances must be returned to Illien Adoptions.
From that point, the writing and all reviews of your Home Study should
be completed within 45 days and the Home Study should be issued within
that time frame. It is important to remember these two stages. If
any documents are missing or other documentation is found to be needed,
the Home Study cannot be completed until those documents are submitted.
WHO ELSE IS INVOLVED IN THE HOME STUDY PROCESS?
Illien Adoptions International, Inc is the licensed agency which will
approve and issue your home study. Illien Adoptions will assist you to
obtain the criminal background checks. Illien Adoptions will coordinate
with your placing agency to ensure that all of their requirements and
the country requirement are met. Otherwise, I am your primary contact
for questions and answers. All face to face visits are done by me and
I write the home study.
FOR HOW LONG IS THE HOME STUDY VALID?
The Home Study is valid for 12 months from the date of issuance.
WHAT HAPPENS IF THE PROCESS TAKES LONGER THAN ONE YEAR OR THERE
ARE CHANGES IN THE ORIGINAL HOME STUDY?
If there are any changes to your situation as described in the issued
home study, we are required to issue an Addendum to the original study.
There is an additional fee for this service and it depends upon the nature
of the change in your situation. At the end of the validity period of
12 months, a second Home Study must be issued updating all of the information
in the previous study. This is an additional adoption service with an
additional service fee. NOTE: Your Home Study must be valid at the time
you accept a referral and at the time you take physical custody of your
child. USCIS has its own validity dates and expiration dates and they
do not always coincide with the Home Study expiration dates. USCIS validity
must also be kept current.
WHAT DOCUMENTS ARE NECESSARY FOR THE HOME STUDY?
You must first complete the Application and be approved to proceed with
the study. After you are approved, I will send you the next set of documents
with all of the instructions.
HOW OFTEN ARE YOU REQUIRED TO MEET WITH US?
One visit to your home is required, and two other visits which may occur
either outside of the home or also at the home. These visits include a
joint meeting and individual meetings for each adult living in the home.
All of these visits can be accomplished within a three day time period
during the time of my visit to your home.
ARE YOU GOING TO PASS OR FAIL US? WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT?
This is not a “pass or fail” examination. The Home Study is
a step by step process. The Application itself is the first stage of screening
for me to see if there are reasons why you should not proceed. For example,
if you are a convicted felon, then we would not proceed with the home
study. If you are terminally ill, we would not proceed. Once your Application
is accepted, you will receive the second set of documents continuing all
of the required information. If you see in those documents that you cannot
meet the criteria, then you simply do not proceed. Those are the obvious
stopping points. If, during the course of the investigation of all of
the documents, I discover that you cannot meet the criteria, we will stop
and discuss each point as we get to it. You will know every step of the
way if there is a problem and we will try to resolve everything. There
should be no surprises.
My goal is to ensure that you meet all of the international requirements to adopt, not to disqualify you.
WHAT DOES THE HOME STUDY COST?
The basic service fees for the Home Study are $2,250. Those are the fees
which you will be paying to me and to Illien Adoptions International,
Inc. These fees are the same for all home studies, Hague or non-Hague.
WHAT DOES THE HOME STUDY FEE INCLUDE?
The total service fee of $2,250 includes my home visits and personal interviews
with your family, not to exceed three days in your country of residence.
If more time is required, or additional visits are required, there could
be additional service fees depending upon the time.
If an Addendum to your Home Study is required during the validity period of the home study, the fee and cost for these services is not included in the Home Study fee and will be determined by the nature of the Addendum.
The Home Study fee is a fee for services only and does not include any third party costs or expenses. It includes all of my consultations with clients or others involved in the adoption process, my three day time for home visit, travel time, copies of the home study, supervision and review by Illien Adoptions and issuance of the home study. The fee does not include any travel costs, such as airfare, hotel, food, etc. It does not include any administrative or third party costs such as notarizations, apostilles, courier services to the US, etc. which will be billed separately. There may be additional third party expenses related to my travel which will be also be billed separately.
ARE YOU LIMITED IN WHERE YOU CAN TRAVEL TO MEET A FAMILY THAT
REQUIRES THESE SERVICES?
I do not have any geographical limitation for providing these services.
WILL YOU WORK WITH MORE THAN ONE FAMILY IN ONE LOCATION OR IN
ONE VISIT?
Yes. I encourage this because if there is more than one couple or person
in location they can share the travel and overnight costs of the home
visit.
WHAT ARE POST PLACEMENT/POST ADOPTION SERVICES?
These services are always required for all adoptions from any country;
however, the number of visits/reports varies. This service is separate
from the Home Study and the fee for these services will depend upon your
individual situation and the country requirements which we will know from
the beginning of your Home Study process.
Tel: +44 (0)1325-462307
Email: info@us-adopt.com