Next Step-Home Study

I don't know if you've heard this before, but there's a lot of paperwork involved in adoption. 

The first taste of this started with our home study.  A home study is the first official step of the adoption journey.  All types of adoption require a home study and can vary a little from one other in requirements and cost.  We went with a recommendation from our friend, Tiffany Castleberry, to use Shay Patterson with Adoption Home Studies of Tulsa.  We were so pleased with Shay and would highly recommend her!  She specializes in pre-placement home studies for domestic adoption and also completes post-placement evaluations.  Home studies are valid for one year, and then there is an updating process if your adoption process takes longer than a year. 

While the requirements vary a little, I wanted to give an idea of what our home study process looked like.  Below is our orientation checklist.

Contract for home study services
Autobiographical write up
OSBI/FBI/CANIS background check
3 Reference letters
Financial Assessment
Physical exams for all people living in the home
Personal interview for all people living in the home
Home Safety Evaluations

We also needed the following documents.

Birth Certificates for all members in the home
Native American Indian Tribe Card (if applicable)
Marriage license
Divorce decree (if applicable)
Death certificates of any previous spouse
Verification of  employment/pay stubs
Verification of Health insurance
Most recent income tax return
Vet vaccination records (if there are pets in the home)
Military service or discharge records (if applicable)
Copy of any previous home stuides, adoption decrees, filed legal documents

As you can see, it was a big step and so rewarding when we were HOME STUDY APPROVED!

It is a needed step.  We saved multiple copies of each document because most adoption loans, grants and adoption agencies have a similar list of requirements just to get started. 

We were blessed to work with Shay and I've listed her web address for anyone who may be needing a home study for a domestic adoption.

www.adoptionhomestudiesoftulsa.com