Homestudy
Assessment and preparation
The assessment is a two way process in which we aim to give you information to prepare you for the task of adopting a child. The assessment involves both you and all members of your immediate family. You will be expected to demonstrate, or have the potential to develop, the following skills:
- ability to communicate with children, their families and professionals
- an awareness of child development, and the particular needs of looking after a child
- a willingness to work towards the social work plan for the child during the time leading up to the adoption - this may include facilitating contact between the child and their birth family
- flexibility and an understanding of anti-discriminatory practice.
You are expected to attend group preparation sessions prior to approval which cover a wide range of issues about adoption.
Once you have submitted your application form a social worker from the permanence team will work with you to complete an assessment of your family. This assessment is commonly referred to as the homestudy. The social worker will visit you and your family at home to assess both you and your family’s suitability to take on the permanent care of a child or sibling group. The home study will involve looking at the skills and experience you already have as well as areas that may need further development and support.
During the home study social work staff will discuss your application to adopt or become a permanent carer with your own children. Caring on a permanent bases for a child will have an impact on everyone in your household – including any children you have. It is important that you chat with your children at an early stage and be sure that the timing of your application to adopt or become a permanent carer fits with their needs. Sometimes this may simply mean that any child who is placed with you needs to be in a specific age category or a specific sex. In other cases you may be advised to reconsider the timing of your application. By the end of the homestudy you will have had the chance to discuss all of these issues with the social worker so that a decision is reached that is for everyone’s benefit.
Once the homestudy report is completed it will be presented to the Adoption and Permanence Panel. You will see the report and have the opportunity to comment on it before it is submitted to the panel – to which you are invited to attend. A final decision about approval will be made after the panel by the “Agency Decision Maker” who is a Senior Manager in the Social Work and Health Department.