After making the decision to adopt, the homestudy is the first step that hopeful adoptive parents will take. Whether adopting privately, through a children's aid society, or a licensed international adoption agency, all adoptive applicants must go through the homestudy process.

If the homestudy is done through a CAS, the adoptive applicants will work with an adoption professional employed by the society. If the homestudy is done privately for domestic or international adoption purposes, the adoptive applicants will work with an approved adoption practitioner. This is a person (often a social worker) with experience in adoption, who has been approved by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services to do homestudies and supervise adoption placements.

What is the homestudy?

The homestudy combines both professional assessment and self-evaluation approaches. This process involves the discussion of important matters about parenting and it invites the applicants to examine their own values and feelings.

The adoption practitioner will get to know the family, help its members explore their feelings and expectations, and assess their own attitudes and abilities. From this mutual process, a decision can be made about the kind of child or children they could parent.

The professional doing the home study will:

• provide applicants with information about parenting through adoption;
• explore with them the reasons why they want to adopt a child, their expectations for the child, and the strengths and skills they offer that will help them meet an adopted child's needs;
• examine with them how they would deal with the challenge of children who have had difficult experiences in their early years; and
• discuss issues that may arise in specific cases, particularly with international
• adoptions, e.g. parenting children of another race or culture, who may have experienced institutional care, where there may be a limited social and medical history available, and where the child will have to adjust to a new country and language.

The homestudy also provides an opportunity to consider "openness" in the adoption. It means that adoptive parents are open to some contact with birth family members and former foster parents after the adoption.

This could range from the exchange of cards, letters and photographs, either directly or through a licensee or children's aid society, to visits with birth family members.

While openness has become increasingly accepted over the last several years, this is a decision that has to be made individually in each adoption. The degree of openness a child needs, the birth parent wants, or what an adoptive family can accept should be carefully examined early in the adoption process.

What expect adoption workers?

Adoption workers don't expect a family to be perfect or problem-free. In fact, if they have weathered some setbacks in their lives and become stronger as a result, they are often seen as good candidates for an adoption, especially for a child who has been through some difficult times.

Adoption workers are looking for families who have proven problem-solving abilities and can provide patient, skilled parenting and commitment.

Being able to accept differences - and there may be a wide difference between the child's background and the family's - is vital in reinforcing a child's self-esteem and feeling of belonging in the adoptive family.

Parents who have the patience to let children progress at their own pace, and who can accept potential future problems, and provide children with security and permanence, are the most likely to succeed with adoption.

The homestudy provides the applicants and the adoption practitioner with an opportunity to look at issues early in the process, and come to an informed decision.