International
Child Foundation, Inc.
Hague Accredited Licensed Non-Profit Adoption Agency
302 E. Suffolk Drive, Tucson, AZ 85704-7131
Email Website www.childfound.org
Toll Free 877 542-8813 Phoenix 480 751-1015
Tucson 520 531-9931 Efax 512 727-1015
Home Studies under the Hague Convention
The Hague Convention has profoundly changed the world of international adoption. ICF is committed to abiding by the highest standards for home study preparation, as mandated for Hague Convention and non-Hague Convention adoptions.
Home study social workers will find new requirements for home studies to be submitted to USCIS under the new Hague regulations. In addition to exploring the motivation and capabilities of the prospective adoptive parents (PAPs), in-depth child abuse checks and highly specific language will be required for the home study to meet the threshold for Hague Convention adoptions.
As much as is reasonable, ICF wishes to meet these standards with all home studies. The revised home study guide provides the format that will meet both Hague Convention and non-Hague Convention adoptions.
As always, home studies should be written in concise language without slang or colloquial expressions. To minimize translation challenges, sentence structure should be simple and to the point.
There should be only one version of the home study. The same home study is to be provided to the prospective adoptive parents, to USCIS and the foreign adoption authorities.
As ICF prepares home studies for PAPs of other agencies, you may find their home study requirements or format to be different. Differences may reflect agency or country policies. If there are any questions about how to structure the home study for submission to a particular country, do not hesitate to call ICF or the placing agency for clarification.
Arizona Administrative Code mandates a minimum of 2 visits with the family, totaling not less than 4 hours of contact time. One meeting must be at the family residence, and include individual interviews with each parent and child and other members of the household. The time spent on the individual and group interviews must be specifically noted.
Some countries, like China, require 4 visits. Certain placing agencies, like All God’s Children, require 4 visits, not less than 6 hours total. As time progresses and we assess the additional time required to meet the requirements of the Hague Convention and certain foreign countries, ICF may re-evaluate home study fees. Currently (July 2008) the agency application fee is $300 and the home study fee is $1000.
BASIC REQUIREMENTS
For Domestic Adoptions and non-Hague Convention adoptions:
1. The home study must meet all state requirements and, in AZ, be certified by the court
2. Must be amended if there are significant changes in residence, marital status, criminal history, finances, health, or the number of dependents
3. Families must be prepared for adoption by being informed there is potential for delays and changes in the process and costs, and that a birth mother may change her mind
4. Families must be educated as to risks associated with adopting children with limited or unverifiable medical, psycho-social and developmental histories.
5. The home study must recommend the age, number and sex of children to be adopted
An AZ home study is valid for 18 months in the state and may be renewed for an additional 12 months. Most foreign countries, however, do not consider a home study over 12 months old valid. Some set the limit at 6 months.
HAGUE CONVENTION REQUIREMENTS
For Hague Convention Country adoptions
This is a brief outline of the new requirements:
1. USCIS now requires Child Abuse Registries to be checked in any State or foreign country that a PAP or adult member of the household has resided in since that person’s 18th birthday. Each state has its own procedure. Some may release reports only to the agency, whereas other may release information only to the PAP. If possible or required, the PAP will be called upon to send the request, as they do in AZ.
2. The Duty of Disclosure must be completed – families must be informed of their duty to disclose any relevant information regarding physical, mental or emotional health problems, in addition to information regarding arrests, history of substance abuse, or an offer of sexual abuse, child abuse or family violence. This duty is ongoing until a child comes to the US for adoption. A full description is attached. The social worker must document in the home study that each prospective adoptive parent and adult household member has been notified of their duty of disclosure.
3. Per form I-800A (p. 7, part 3, item 3) families must provide a description of the pre-adoption requirements, if any, of the State of the child’s proposed residence and describe the steps they have taken to fulfill those requirements. The agency serving the PAP in their state of residence should be able to describe the state requirements.
The Home Study Format
This is a template and sample home study, devised first to meet basic AZ requirements and to also meet Hague Convention requirements. ICF, as a Hague Convention agency, may choose to conduct Hague Convention home studies for all PAPs, regardless of country.
Foreign governments may express a preference for Hague Convention agencies and home studies, without being Hague Convention countries, themselves. Several countries that are not party to the Convention are considering making Hague Convention accreditation a threshold for providing adoption services in that country. ICF will meet the requirements needed for the PAP’s country of adoption, and/or their placing agency.
Currently, there are nearly 75 countries that are party to the Hague Convention countries, including the US, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Georgia, India, Kenya, Mexico, Moldova, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Thailand, and Venezuela. The complete list may be found at http://www.travel.state.gov/family/adoption/convention/convention_4197.html
Every Home Study must have a Cover Page, which includes the following information:
Full Legal Name John Adam Doe Mary Ann Smith
Address
Telephone
Emergency Tel.
Primary Email
Soc Sec Numbers
Citizenship
Passport Numbers &
Place of Issue
Date of Birth and Age
Birthplace
Marriage Date
Education
Employment (title)
Annual income
Names and Dates of Birth of Children, if applicable
Date prepared
Identify the date the home study was prepared.
Prepared by
Social Worker’s name, credentials and licensing number, or state under the license of the agency #123456, and the expiration date of the license.
AZ State Licensing Requirements
List state regulations regarding requirements for direct service workers and state licensing regulations. For AZ home studies:
Per the Arizona Administrative Code, R6-5-7014 (B), a Social Worker shall have the following qualifications:
1. A Bachelor’s degree in social work or a related human services field from an accredited college or university and two years of professional experience in a human services field; or
2. A master’s degree in social work or in a related human services field from an accredited college or university.
International Child Foundation is authorized by the state of Arizona to research and prepare home studies as an Adoption Agency and a Child Welfare Agency under AZ Administrative Code 96.30a Article 66: Adoption Services, license #201639061. The state of AZ reviews and reissues agency licenses annually; the license for ICF is #201639061; it expires every year on May 16, and is renewed, pending approval, on May 17.
Add the following statements
This home study is to be used for the sole purpose of an international adoption through ______, adoption agency.
This is a true and accurate copy of the home study that was provided to the prospective adoptive parents and to USCIS and to foreign adoption authorities.
For a Hague Convention adoptions the home study must also state
International Child Foundation is a supervised provider for ______, a Hague accredited adoption agency, based on an agreement executed on ______(date). In accordance with 22 CFR Part 96, the placing agency ______is an accredited agency on file with the Department of State as having the authority to conduct Convention home studies.
Summary of Agency Contacts
Contact information must include who was present, where the interview(s) were held, the dates and specific time spent with individual family members or in joint interviews for each separate contact. Home studies without this detail do not comply with AZ administrative code and, in addition, will be rejected by USCIS for Hague Convention adoptions.
Date of application
Include date of application to the agency and the date the home study was referred to the social worker.
Overview of the family and motivation to adopt
Include
1. Reasons or rationale behind the family’s choice to adopt from a specific country; be specific, as generic references to Africa or Asia will not suffice
2. Infertility should be discussed, including how the couple or single mother has managed loss
3. Motivation and openness to adopt a child with special needs shall be discussed in detail with specific condition or special needs the family is open to accepting. Include a clear statement from the social worker assessing the family’s preparedness and suitability to adopt a child with special needs
4. Discuss parents’ ability to provide for a child with special needs, including health insurance, specialized training or experience, financial resources, community resources, extended family resources
Background of Adoptive Parent(s)
Section I: Prospective Adoptive Father
1. Date of birth, place of birth; include a statement that the social worker has verified the birth certificate
2. Naturalized citizens must have their US Naturalization Certificate with the number, date and place of naturalization verified by the social worker
3. US Passport number with date and place of issue
4. Physical description, including height, weight, eye color, hair color, and statement regarding heritage, racial background or ethnicity; also have PAP compute BMI and include, as may be required for some countries
5. Family background and dynamics: names of parents, siblings, their current residences, occupations, status of current relationship and knowledge and attitude concerning adoption plans
6. Single applicants must include an appraisal of their unmarried status, their expectation or desire to be married in the future, a discussion of if or how their attitude toward adoption will change if they marry; if required by the country of adoption, a statement that the applicant was asked about their sexual preference and the social worker attests to the veracity of their statement that they are not (or are) homosexual
7. Education history
8. Employment history
9. Significant life experiences, including most influential person, discussion of previous marriage(s), reasons for divorce, dates, names of previous spouses and current relationship with ex-spouse. In the event of previous marriages, the home study must include a statement that the social worker has verified the divorce decree or death certificate of the of former spouse(s)
10. Heath history and social worker’s assessment of the applicant’s mental stability; include a statement that social worker has read the medical report that indicates the applicant is free of communicable diseases, including TB and HIV/AIDS. (Not all countries require the TB and HIV/AIDS test; please inquire if you are unsure.) The description of health and medical issues should be identical to the medical report or Certificate of Health Examination completed by the applicant’s physician for the country program dossier, or as required by the state. (The state of AZ has less exacting medical reporting requirements; this is acceptable providing that the PAP does not need the country-required medical report wording in the home study.) Sample wording for the medical section: “John Adam Doe was examined by his physician on May 1, 2008. He was found to be free of infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. John Adam Doe was found to be of sufficient emotional stability to parent a child. This report was reviewed by this social worker and the above findings are as stated. It is this worker’s assessment that John Adam Doe is emotionally, physically and mentally stabile and will provide a loving home for any child placed in this family.”
11. Child abuse check – for non-Hague country adoptions, this includes a report from the AZ Child Abuse Registry, and a statement from the social worker as to whether a record was found or not found. For Hague country adoptions, this includes a report from the child abuse registries in every state or foreign country that a PAP or adult member of the household has resided in since that person’s 18th birthday. List the states and the results were checks were conducted. Listed below are the possible courses of action for child abuse checks:
a. Allowed access: if the home study preparer is allowed access to child abuse registries, he or she must make the appropriate checks for the applicant and each additional adult member of the household
b. Permission required: of the state of foreign country requires the home study preparer to secure permission from the applicant and each additional adult member of the household before gaining access to child abuse registries, the home study preparer must secure such permission and make the appropriate checks
c. Information only to individual: if the state or foreign country will only release information from a child abuse registry to the individual to whom the information relates, the PAP and adult members of the household must secure and provide the information to the home study preparer
d. No release: if the state of foreign country will release information neither to the home study provider nor the PAP or adult household members, the homes study preparer must note unavailability of information in the home study
12. Background criminal history check performed by state; include date completed. State whether record was found or not found.
13. Hague Convention duty to disclose – include this in all home studies: indicate family was informed of their duty to disclose. Social workers must inform the family during the home study process of their duty to provide true and complete information to the home study preparer and the consequences of not disclosing information. Indicate that the PAP was asked each of the following questions and indicate the PAP’s response:
a. Have you ever been arrested and fingerprinted, even if the record was sealed, pardoned or expunged?