What is a Home Study?

I was just thinking that you've heard me talking about a Home Study for a while. But i wonder how many actually know what that is exactly. Here's a quick definition I found:


The adoption home study is a detailed written report of your family compiled and prepared by a social worker. This can take three to six months to finish (which is why we want to get moving on it!). The adoption home study requires the prospective adoptive family to gather different documents, answer several questions, and explore their reasons for adopting. Through a series of visits (Ethiopia requires at least 4 visits) and interviews the social worker can get a complete picture of who you are and what life is like in your family. The adoption home study is a part of the decision making process for both the prospective family and the workers. Not only can the adoption home study help the worker place a child into your home who would best fit into your family, but help the family and the worker decide if now is a good time for your family to adopt.

The home study will also include the following information:
* Autobiography/Family Background
* Neighborhood/Community/Schools
* Physical Health
* Financial Statements
* Criminal Clearances
* References
* Interviews


It's a pretty huge step in our journey. We'd appreciate all the prayers and support we can get as we try and get everything done.