Home Study Services

Florida Adoption Center Services

The Florida Adoption Center provides home study services and post-placement supervision services. These services are provided through the Florida Adoption Center as part of our larger adoption program. We are also able to provide these services to attorneys who are overseeing private adoptions as well as for families adopting a child through the foster system. Each year the Florida Department of Children & Families re-licensed us to provide these services.

Home studies occur before an adoption takes place. After adoption there are also post-placement supervision visits/contact that must occur. Florida requires post-placement supervision visit/contacts to occur every 30 days until adoption finalization. The first three visits must be in person, and both adoptive parents must be present for the first visit. Contact can occur by email after the first three visits, but still needs to occur every 30 days until finalization.

We encourage the Adoptive Family to share any adjustment issues or other areas of concern during post-placement supervision visits. We are then able to provide whatever resources might be helpful to ease the adjustment period. In addition, we review milestones, development, and medical visits during these visits,. We send all Post-placement Supervision Reports to the Court. These reports inform the court about how the child is thriving in the adoptive parents’ care. The home study and these reports are what the Judge will use to decide on the adoption finalization. Typically, finalizations occur between 120-150 days depending on court schedules.

What is a Home Study?

The Home Study is an assessment which incorporates information about the applicant’s. Questions are designed to help the court learn about the moral character, criminal history, familial status and health information of the applicants. The Home Study study also includes a detailed psychosocial assessment which takes two site visits to the Adoptive Parent’s home. The applicants need to undergo background checks and provide references as part of the study. We incorporate the collected information into one document for presentation to the Court. Prepared by Agency staff and approved by our Managing Director, the final document is a detailed report of how well equipped a family might be to adopt a child.

The entire Home Study process requires three or more face-to-face meetings with our prospective Adoptive Parents. These meetings take place both in our offices and in your home. These early reports become part of the documentation eventually presented to a Judge who will finalize the adoption.

The Home Study report contains detailed information about the Adoptive Family.

To help you prepare, some of the documentation you will be asked to provide includes:

(The list above is representative of the documentation required but is not an exhaustive list).

In addition to the items above, you will also be asked to fill out to following forms by FAC:

(The list above represents the required forms but is not intended to be an exhaustive list).

psychosocial assessment

As part of the Home Study we must also complete a detailed psychosocial assessment of the Prospective Adoptive Family. This requires that a staff member visit you in your home. During the visit, we will interview each family member and explore your living circumstances, marital status and discuss previous marriages and other children in the household. In addition, we discuss parenting and discipline styles as well as family belief systems.

The Home Study involves two site visits to your home to ensure you have room for your new family member and to verify residency and safety. During the home visit, we will ask you to provide a floor plan, pictures of your family, and an evacuation plan. Our staff member will ask you to take photographs of each room, plus the front and back of the property and yard. This photographic evidence of your ability to care for a child in a safe environment also becomes part of the Home Study documentation. These photos do not need to be printed on photo paper. They can be printed multiple pictures on a sheet, as long as they are clear.

Please be aware that Home Study Approval is not guaranteed. We will advise you of Approval in writing.

This process may seem daunting or scary, but we are here to walk you through the process and will make it as easy and stress-free as possible. During the Home Study process, it is important to be open and honest with your Adoption Specialist. Everyone involved works hard to ensure successful adoption.

Ready To Get Started With Your Home Study?

E-mail us at HomeStudy@FloridaAdoptionCenter.com to schedule an orientation. Once completed, a Home Study Documentation Checklist can be found on our Forms page. This checklist itemizes all the information needed to start the Home Study process. Please refer to the checklist and the instructions. Copies of the required forms from the checklist are also available on our Forms page.

Home Study Need Updating?

The Home Study has to be kept current to remain eligible for adoption. An update must be completed annually. In addition, any changes in family circumstances, for example, someone new living in the home, job change, divorce, or significant health changes must all be documented in your home study as an addendum between updates. For an addendum, reach out to your home study specialist to find your next steps. For an update, download the Home Study Update Documentation Checklist from our Forms page to get started.

Already Have a Home Study?

Great, we welcome Prospective Adoptive Parents with a current Home Study produced by another agency. Download the Waiting Family Welcome Packet to get started. We can also review your Florida Home Study and update it if necessary. Please E-mail us for more information on the process.

After the Home Study – Expectant Parent Matching

Expectant Parents have the right to choose a family for their child. However, as Adoptive Parents, you have the right to be provided with all available information to make an informed decision. The Agency gathers all available information on Expectant Parents’ physical and mental health history and that of direct family members. Some of this information is self-reported, but we also obtain medical records where possible and require drug testing of our expectant mothers. We encourage Expectant Parents to provide information about illegal and prescription drug use, and alcohol use, both before conception and during pregnancy.

Expectant Parents are encouraged to take an active part in the selection process of the Adoptive Family. We encourage all members of the Adoption Triad to meet, get to know each other, and form a bond. We will provide guidance to help you prepare your family profile which we will use to present you to the expectant parents.

Typically, we work with expectant parents for some time and offer resources to ensure all options are considered before deciding on an adoption plan. When ready, we will develop an Expectant Parent Match Summary, identify the waiting families that meet the same criteria as the expectant family and send it via e-mail for possible match opportunities. We will also send a text to alert you to check your e-mail. The e-mail will include all information gathered about the potential match and a budget. To move forward to the possible match, send an e-mail, and we will respond once it is received.  

Emotional Support

When families decide to adopt, they have frequently spent years trying to conceive a biological child. Adoption is a way to fulfill the dream of parenthood. We recognize that many prospective Adoptive Parents have experienced a roller coaster ride of hopes, dreams, and disappointments. This range of powerful emotions and often years of hoping and wishing can be mentally and emotionally exhausting, which is why we are committed to providing emotional support throughout the process. It is our goal to create families in a loving and nurturing way, and we commit to providing ongoing emotional support for our families whenever needed. It’s important to find resources during the waiting period.