All families wishing to adopt a child must successfully complete a home study investigation in the state in which they reside by a qualified adoption agency or professional. A home study investigation ensures a child would be safe in the prospective adoptive home and prepares the family to become an adoptive family.
In New York State, the required qualifications for approval as an adoptive family varies depending upon the type of adoption being planned. All home study investigations in New York State require families to ...
- have face-to-face interviews with an adoption professional
- have a home inspection by an adoption professional
- provide demographic information, autobiographies, financial documentation, references, and birth and marriage certificates
- submit medical reports for each member of the household
- obtain child abuse and criminal history reviews (varies with type of adoption)
- complete training in prepartion of becoming an adoptive family (varies with type of adoption)
The requirements and level of qualification demanded of the adoptive family will depend upon the type of adoption being pursued. Below indicates the differences in qualifications for adoptive parents in New York State for various adoption plans.
Domestic Adoption from the Public Foster Care System Requires:
- Criminal history review for all adult household members from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services
- Child abuse clearances from all states in which the adoptive parents and other adult household members have resided within the past five years
- Completion of MAPS training; 15 week training program offered by the county's Department of Social Services
Domestic Adoption via a Private Independent Adoption Requires:
- Criminal history review for all adult household members from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services
- Child abuse clearances from all states in which the adoptive parents and other adult household members have resided within the past five years
- The home study may be conducted by the court, by an independent licensed master social worker, or by an authorized New York State adoption agency (for example Family Connections, Inc.)
- All families must become pre-qualified as adoptive parents through their county's Family Court
Domestic Adoption via a Private Agency Adoption Requires:
- Criminal history review for all adult household members from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services
- Criminal history review for all adult household members from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
- Child abuse clearances from all states and countries in which the adoptive parents and other adult household members have resided within the past five years
- The home study must be conducted by an authorized New York State adoption agency, such as Family Connections, Inc.
- Adoption training provided by the social worker conducting the home study interviews (number of hours vary)
International Adoption in Non-Convention (not Hague) Country Requires:
- Criminal history review for all adult household members from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services
- Criminal history review for all adult household members from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
- Child abuse clearances from all states and countries in which the adoptive parents and other adult household members have resided within the past five years
- The home study must be conducted by an authorized New York State adoption agency
- Adoption training may be required by the country from which you are adopting; number of hours vary from 0 hours to 80 hours depending on the country
- Adoption training, if required may be provided by your home study provider, your international adoption placement agency, or by an on-line educator
International Adoption in Hague Convention Country Requires:
- Criminal history review for all adult household members from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services
- Criminal history review for all adult household members from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
- Child abuse clearances from all states and countries in which the adoptive parents and other adult household members have resided since their 18th birthday
- The home study must be conducted by an authorized New York State adoption agency; some countries (e.g. China) requires that the home study be conducted by a Hague Accrediated home study provider
- A minimum of 10 hours of Hague-training is required; the country from which you are adopting may require more
- Adoption training may be provided your international adoption placement agency or by an on-line educator
Family Connections, Inc. is an authorized New York State Adoption Agency that provides home study investigation services for families adopting from any of the above adoption types. We would be honored to support your family's adoption plan. Please contact Renee or Anita at 1-800-535-5556 or renee@adoptfamilyconnections.org. To schedule a free consultation to explore your adoption options or learn more about our home study services, click below.
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