Home Study Tips?

[ibisgirldc]

After 6 mos, we've finally passed the initial screening. The foster care/adoption program for our county says that it willl contact us in the next week to schedule the home study.

Any tips from those who've been through it would be most welcomed! Thanks in advance.

[kellyowens]

Just wanted to say I'm praying it goes perfectly!! The only advice I have is relax...I worked myself up over it and when it was done I thought...all that anxiety over *that* ! (((HUGS)))...KUP! So exciting!

[WishingNWaiting]

I second the relax part! I must have vacumned my house about 50 times in a 24 hour period because I wanted everything to be just perfect. It was seriously the cleanest my house has EVER been and the SW was hardly there an hour and didn't really look at the house other than to peek at the room we set up for kids for all of 5 seconds. Good luck and KUP!

[mommaduck]

I third the RELAX!! be yourself, and remember the social worker wants to help YOU adopt. they are not out to get you or fail you, you are paying THEM. That doesn't mean they wont go deep, but they have to. Don't stress too much and just know its one step of many to get to your kiddo(s)!!

[Cosmosmom]

Well what they called the home study at my agency including the classes and all the paperwork. The final part was the home visit and that was no big deal. Basically she came to our house and mentioned several times how she liked this or that about it and we did a quick tour. She met our dog (only had one at the time). She asked where the fire extinguisher was and we showed her.....as well as the fire escape plan that has to be posted in the house (and that is silly as we are getting an infant, not a child who can already read but it's state law). She collected the rest of our paperwork, read our dear birth mom letter and looked at our portfolio. It was nice and easy.

And yeah the house should be picked up and neat...but not spotless. I just cleaned it like I would if I was having company over who had never seen my house before.

[keepingfaith]

I just clean like my mother-in-law is coming! As long as your house looks neat and clean SW's seem to be happy. They're just trying to see that there are no safety issues and make sure you don't have a meth lab in your basement. ;) j/k Relax and try to enjoy it...it's just another part of the ride.

Jess