Orientation: Arizona adoption agencies are required to conduct an orientation about the home study process and about adoption prior to beginning the home study process. Typically this orientation includes a discussion on the adoption process, requirements, and available resources. This session typically provides an overview of what to expect during the home study process.
Training/Education: As much as I wish this was a required part of an Arizona home study process, a specific amount or type of adoption related education is not required in Arizona. Some private domestic adoption agencies do require training as part of their individual agency’s home study process, but that is definitely not universal amongst the adoption agencies in Arizona. We recommend that before beginning an adoption process and beginning the home study, all prospective adoptive families gain access to information about domestic adoption prior to beginning or during their home study process, incuding educating themselves minimally on the following topics: open adoption, transracial adoption, trauma/loss that exists in adoption, drug/alcohol exposure in utero and mental health considerations in adoption. At Purl, we have filled an important gap in helping educate prospective adoptive parents on these topics since many home study providers are not providing this necessary education (see more on that in this artcile we wrote). We encourage all families minimally have a coaching/consultation with an entity like Purl BEFORE beginning the home study process.
Application: After attending the orientation, prospective adoptive parents typically complete an application provided by the adoption agency they are working with. This application usually includes answering basic personal information, financial information, information about your family and background, physical and mental health.
Home Visit/Report: A licensed social worker will conduct a series of interviews/home visits to assess the individuals requesting certification to adopt, as well as to assess the living environment and ensure that it meets safety standards. As part of the interviews, the adoption agency social worker will typically evaluate a prospective adoptive parents readiness for adoption, parenting skills, and ability to provide a stable and loving home for a child. The home study report will include discussion on the following topics:
- Financial condition of applicant
- Medical condition of the applicant (after review of medical documents provided by a physician)
- Moral fitness
- Religious background
- Physical and mental health
- Any court action for adjudication of child abuse, abandonment of children, dependency or termination of parent child relationship
- Any other facts bearing witness on fitness of prospective adoptive parents.
Background Checks : Prospective adoptive parents in Arizona will undergo background checks, including criminal background checks and child abuse clearances, as part of their home study process. If you are a prospective adoptive parent who has had some criminal misdemeanor or felony (even if it is expunged), please let your home study provider know BEFORE starting the process, to see if they feel like that will preclude you from becoming home study approved. Anyone else living in the adoptive home will also need to complete a background check, so if you have extended family members or adult children living with you, you’ll need to be prepared for those family members to also complete fingerprinting/background checks as well, even if they are not a family member that will be adopting.
Discussion of the Type of Child You Are Approved to Adopt: Many people are unaware that the final home study report will include a section on the type of child you are approved to adopt, noting the age, race, gender as well as potential medical/special needs you are open to in your adoption. We encourage EVERYONE conducting a home study to first talk with an entity like Purl before answering questions about the type of child you are comfortable adopting. It is essential that you understand the landscape of adoption when answering these questions, as well as what impact narrow preferences will have on your adoption journey (it can actually double or triple the wait time for adoption). Make sure you are as educated and prepared for these tough topics before a home study provider makes a determination that limits you on the type of child and the circumstances involving a child before you have had the opportunity to educate yourself on these topics.
References: They are also required to provide references from employers, friends, and family members who can attest to their character and suitability as adoptive parents.
Writing the Report and Submission to the Arizona Court
Once the agency social worker gathers all the components to the home study discussed above, they will write up a written report. The report will include an opinion from the adoption agency as to whether the prospective adoptive family should be certified to adopt. The Arizona court then has 60 days after submission of the home study report by the adoption agency to approve/or disapprove an order certifying the family to adopt. Smaller counties in Arizona, like Pima, Coconino and Yavapai, will often will often issue orders certifying a family to adopt much more quickly after submission than a larger county like Maricopa. Prospective adoptive families should expect that the certification may take between one week to two months after the adoption agency has submitted the home study report to the court. Therefore, Arizona families should expect a slightly longer home study process as compared to families from other states, due to the necessary step requiring approval by the court. Note that this is just one way that Arizona differs from other states with regard to adoption. Arizona also does not allow non-residents to finalize in Arizona even if the child was born in Arizona (ostensibly due to those residents not having the required certification to adopt).
The order granting certification of a prospective adoptive family will last for 18 months after issuance. Families will then have to update that certification and report every 12-month period thereafter. The order certifying them to adopt is valid for any children placed during that corresponding time frame.
Many Arizona adoption agencies will not provide the full home study report to the prospective adoptive family after completion. Instead, the prospective adoptive family in those cases will only receive a copy of their order certifying them to adopt and their home study agency will send copies of the full home study to professionals that the prospective adoptive family is working with in their adoption journey.
