Adoption; period of validity of home study. (HB946)

Thank you so much for this bill. As an adoptive parent pursuing international adoption, I know first hand how much time it takes from home study completion to State Department approval to referral for a child. Our home study is about to expire, and we only now have all the paperwork and clearances to submit to the Ethiopian government. We will have to pay for a home study renewal, and go through the scrutiny all over again. Another 6 months, in our case, would have been a great thing.

Thank you so much for considering this bill. International adoptions are taking longer and longer and having a home study expire in the middle of the process is an unnecessary frustration and leads to additional expense.

Adoption Policy

10.D.13 Renewal Process

The agency will re-approve the applicant prior to the placement of a child if the home study is older than 24 months.

Currrent state adoption policies and state agency approved provider standards/regulations requires renewal every 24 months and that child placing agencies have to adhere to that minimum requirement, but can choose to require a shorter timeframe between renewals. If your understanding is correct, than you’re not clear how HB946 will assist in lengthening the time period for renewal of adoptive families working through child placing agencies. My wife and I have three internationally adopted children and I am not sure the bill will accomplish what you are hoping it will. The current state policy is that home studies are approved for 24 months, but the individual child placing agencies can require those families adopting through there organization to more stringent time frames. The bill as introduced will shorten the approval period, not lengthen it which will not be good for the families in this process.

Wholeheartedly supportive! Long over due!