An Overview of the Home-Study Process for Adoption

An adoption agency located in Alpharetta, Georgia, AAA Partners in Adoption, Inc., works with adopting families in the Atlanta area as well as throughout the state of Georgia. With a team of employees who collectively have over 130 years of relevant experience, AAA Partners in Adoption, Inc., is able to help families through each step of the adoption process, including the home study.

The home study is one of the most important steps in the adoption process. Typically taking place over multiple visits, it involves a close inspection of the prospective living space for a child as well as any individuals inhabiting that space. Due to the crucial nature of the home study, adopting families must appreciate how long it can take and for how long it is considered valid and relevant to an ongoing adoption.

The typical time frame for a home study falls between four and six weeks. While certain circumstances can lead to an expedited series of home study visits, it is advisable to assume the process will last six weeks and to begin as soon as possible.

A successfully completed home study is valid for one year. Should the adoption process last longer than 12 months after this date, families will not need to start the home-study process from the beginning but will need to update their living information. Families should also update their home-study file following any major life change, such as a move.

Financial Support for Adopting Families

An Atlanta-area adoption agency, AAA Partners in Adoption, Inc., guides adopting families through the complex process of adoption. On its website, www.partnersinadoption.org, AAA Partners in Adoption, Inc., also provides valuable information that aims to help families manage the costs of adopting and raising a child.

Raising a child in the United States is expensive. On average, families spend over $13,000 annually between birth and a child’s 18th birthday. These costs can be especially hard to handle if a family has already paid between $25,000 and $40,000 to adopt a newborn child. Fortunately, there are several steps adopting families can take to ease the financial burden.

Adopting families can receive aid through the Federal Adoption Tax Credit, the Family Medical and Leave Act, and various state tax credits. They can also discuss adoption benefits with their places of employment, many of which provide financial assistance throughout the adoption process.

For active military personnel, adoption subsidies of as much as $2,000 per child are available. Additional forms of financial support for adopting families include adoption loans, private grants, and private scholarships.