How to adopt

Adoption Attorney Stephen Ravel shares advice for parents looking to adopt on what a home study is about, what is looked for, and how to best prepare for your home study
Home Study For Adoption Advice - Kidsinthehouse.com
KidsInTheHouse the Ultimate Parenting Resource
Kids in the House Tour

How to adopt

Comment
50
Like
50
Transcription: 
A home study is not really the study of your home, it's the study of your background. If you are a married couple, they will get a copy of your marriage license. If you've been married previously, copy of your divorce decree. Check out things about your health, make sure you don't have any life threatening or life shortening illnesses. Make sure you don't have a criminal record or accused of child abuse; they'll do a fingerprint check on that. They'll get copies of your tax returns to make sure that you are financially able to take care for the child. Not that you're wealthy or going to live the high life, but that the child isn't going to be on public assistance. They want to make sure that the child is going to be properly provided for. Those are things a mother can't find out for herself. That is what the home study is doing. They are not going to go to your home. They are not going to run a white finger over your refrigerator to see if there's dust there. It's only to make sure that the child is going to go into a safe environment.

Adoption Attorney Stephen Ravel shares advice for parents looking to adopt on what a home study is about, what is looked for, and how to best prepare for your home study

Transcript

Expert Bio

More from Expert

Stephen Ravel

Adoption Attorney

Stephen Ravel attended UC Berkley for his undergraduate degree and Santa Clara Law School for his law degree. Stephen has been an attorney since 1973, and has been involved with adoption law since 1984. He has handled over 1,300 adoptions since the start of his career. Stephen is married and has three children. His oldest child was adopted from Brazil at birth.

More Parenting Videos from Stephen Ravel >
Enter your email to
download & subscribe
to our newsletter