Before you may move forward with adopting or fostering a child in North Carolina, you need to undergo an adoption pre-placement assessment or a home study. Conducted by a licensed North Carolina adoption agency, the pre-placement assessment typically involves an adoption professional coming to your home to learn more about you and your family and whether you maintain an environment that is appropriate for an adopted child.
Per Adoption.org, the home study may involve more than just a visit to your home. It may also involve a close review of other areas of your life.
What the pre-placement assessment seeks to do
The adoption pre-placement assessment gives adoption professionals a better sense of who you are and why you and your family have made the decision to adopt a child. It also gives them a sense of whether you are ready to welcome a new child into your home and whether you have the means and desire to meet an adopted child’s physical, emotional and financial needs.
What you might do to prepare for it
Make sure your home is clean, organized and safe ahead of an adoption pre-placement assessment. Make sure smoke detectors work and stairways and common areas are clear. Make sure you and your family have discussed why you want to adopt, where within the home the child is going to live, and so on. Discuss early on, too, if you have an interest in domestic adoption, international adoption or both.
A pre-placement assessment may feel daunting, but try to relax. The more you do to prepare for the visit, the better the chances of everything going according to plan.
