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Home Studies Under the Hague Convention
FOR FAMILIES: THREE HOME STUDY FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW
Under US Department of State and Department of Homeland Security requiements, there have been some changes to the home study process. The important points are:
1. Home study providers that only provide home study services and not the range of matching and placement services may operate as "exempt providers" and avoid the accreditation requirement. Some agencies may or may not accept an independent home study provider's report--so either complete the home study directly with the agency or use an agreed upon provider.
2. In the past, some agencies have used two home studies for intercountry adoption. One home study would be a more thorough and English language version. Then a second condensed version would be translated into the relevant language. This short cut led to some problems, including the failure to disclose some relevant information to foreign governments. Now, only one home study may be used for both the US and foreign sides of the adoption process. NOTE: The home study should meet both the US state requirements as well as the sending country's requirements, i.e. the China Central Authority's criteria for home studies. Because this is a rather complicated set of criteria, make sure that you are working with a knowledgeable home study provider with relevant training in social history assessment and adoption.
3. Home studies are now directly linked to the training component. Prospective families are required to complete 10-training hours and this educational requirement must be underway and clearly within the range of completion before the home study is signed and finally approved at the US agency level. The ten hours of training are above and beyond any information inparted during the home study process. Training is often provided by the agency or you may also negotiate web-based training with the agency.
WHILE IT MAY SEEM LIKE THERE ARE NOT SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO HOME STUDY PROCESSES, BUT THERE ARE SOME CRITICAL AND IMPORTANT FACTS
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