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The department shall make a recommendation as to the desirability of the adoption. The study shall include the applicants and family and other household members who are at least age 10. The report of intention to adopt shall not be required when the child is the child, grandchild, stepchild, brother or sister of the whole or half blood, or niece or nephew by blood, marriage, or adoption of the person receiving or retaining custody or physical care. The foster parent is willing to be considered as the adoptive resource for the child’s siblings currently in substitute care who also have adoption as an identified permanency or concurrent permanency plan.
For an adoptive child who is age 1 or older at the time of placement, the written report shall be filed within 120 days. A child may not be placed in the home of prospective adoptive parents before the home study investigation has been completed. Adoptive applicants shall provide the names and addresses of three individuals as references, only one of whom may be a relative. The local department shall make face-to-face contact with at least two of the three references and request references from school personnel for school-aged children in the prospective adoptive family.
Private Adoptions in Florida - The Home Study - Berkowitz
Adoptive applicants shall provide medical reports to confirm that their physical and emotional health are not hazardous to a child and would not impair their ability to parent a child. Additionally, the age of an adoptive parent shall be evaluated in relation to that of the child considered for placement, unless the local department finds that other factors outweigh the importance of age. The department or a licensed child-placing agency will conduct a study and make a report to the court. No petition for adoption shall be filed unless prior to the filing of the petition the child being adopted has been placed by a child-placing agency or by the cabinet, or the child has been placed with written approval of the secretary. Prior to the approval of an application to receive a child, a home study shall be completed. The portion of the home study pertaining to the home and family background shall be valid for 1 year following the date of its completion by an adoption worker.
The department shall be authorized to make a thorough investigation of the proposed parents and their home to determine whether they are financially able, physically able, and morally fit to have care, supervision, training, and control of the child. The department is authorized to designate an agency in the other State to interview the child’s parent to obtain social, background, and medical information about the child. A preplacement investigation shall be made to determine the suitability of each petitioner and the home in which the child to be adopted will be placed. Read on for more information about local adoption and foster care professionals, home study providers and other St. Petersburg adoption and foster care services. The Florida adoption home study is a key piece of the process because it benefits everyone involved in an adoption.
What is an Adoption Social Worker?
The department may not approve an adoption application, and no exception may be granted, if a subject individual has been convicted in Oregon or any other jurisdiction of a felony crime within the preceding 5 years that involves physical assault or battery or a drug-related offense. A conviction for any crime or a false statement about a conviction for any crime may disqualify a subject individual from being approved as an adoptive parent. The agency may waive components of the requirement for education and training if the assessor determines that the family has received training previously or the family has the skills to care for the needs of the child that will be placed in the home. The postplacement report shall contain an evaluation of the proposed adoption with a recommendation as to the granting of the petition for adoption. The petitioner, the petitioner’s children, and any other permanent residents of the petitioner’s home shall be included in the study. The applicants and household members age 18 and older must be included in the study.
The department need not investigate a proposed intrafamily adoption except upon order of the court. The applicant desires to adopt but is unwilling to adopt a child under the custodial control of the department. Applicants must provide three personal references of people not related to them and one reference who is related to the applicant but does not live in the home. Age restrictions or requirements do not apply when the adopting parent is a spouse of a natural parent. Applications to adopt will be accepted from married couples and from single adults. Couples married less than 2 years must be given particularly careful evaluation.
Learn More about Home Study Requirements
The applicant refuses or fails to provide information requested by the agency. An individual is considered to be suitable to be a parent of n adopted child when there is no specific concern that placement of any child, or a particular child, in the home of the individual would pose a risk of harm to the physical or psychological well-being of the child. The local department shall complete the home study within 90 calendar days, except when there are delays caused by crises, problems, or ambivalence in the family. Actual income is not as important as the family’s capacity to manage sufficiently to meet current family needs, plus the expected needs of another family member or members. The investigation shall include the applicant and all household members who are age 18 and older.
Adoption home study services help to prepare prospective adoptive parents for the adoption journey as the home study worker assists with home inspections, conversations with all family members, and will be your advocate in the preparation of your Florida adoption process. Such interviews shall be conducted within the timeframe specified by the court order, but in no case shall the process exceed 6 months from date of application. Before a child may be placed for adoption by a proposed adoptive parent who has not previously adopted a child, the proposed adoptive parent shall complete the preadoption preparation required under this section. If the proposed adoptive parent does not reside in this State, he or she may meet this requirement by obtaining equivalent preparation in his or her State of residence. Before the placement of any child by any agency or by any person with a prospective adoptive parent, a preplacement investigation, a background investigation, and reports of these investigations must be completed.
Listing Websites about Florida Dcf Home Study Requirements
The court may order an adoption decree without an assessment when the petitioner or petitioner’s spouse is the birth parent of the minor child to be adopted. The agency has, based on its evaluation of the applicant, concerns relating to the applicant’s moral character, mental stability, or motivation for adopting a child. The study may be conducted by either a child-placing agency or an agency that provides child welfare services.
In becoming adoptive parents, the foster parents shall meet all requirements otherwise imposed on persons seeking to adopt children in the custody of the department and shall be subject to all other provisions of this part. An adoptive study includes an evaluation of the applicant based on references, personal interviews, screenings against the central registry for abuse or neglect, a criminal record check, information obtained from at least three character references, and home consultations. A preplacement investigation is not required when the petition to adopt is filed by a stepparent for the adoption of a stepchild when the stepchild has resided with the birth parent and the stepparent for a continuous period of at least 1 year. An evaluator shall assess the information required for the home study to determine if it raises a specific concern that placement of any child or a particular child in the home of the individual would pose a significant risk of harm to the physical or psychological well-being of the child. If an evaluator determines that the information raises a specific concern, the evaluator, based on the original or any further investigation, shall find that the individual is or is not suited to be an adoptive parent.
It protects the safety of the adoptee and ensures that a home is fit for the arrival of a waiting child. Though technically an extension of the Florida adoption home study process, you’ll continue to receive visits from your home study provider once a child is placed in your home. After reviewing the list of required documents, it will be up to you to assemble a portfolio or dossier of the requested items for the home study social worker. You can expedite the process by having these items ready to present to your assigned home study professional during the first visit to your home. Therefore, the first step in the home study process is finding the right home study provider. Read reviews, speak with your chosen adoption agency, and research each home study option thoroughly.
When you are ready to consider adoption again, generally no sooner than when your child is nearing their first birthday, call us to discuss reactivating your file. Education requirements vary depending upon the adoptive couple’s state of residence and, in some cases, the country from which they are adopting. Therefore, we require classes and reading on parenting skills and adoption issues. Home study applicants are encouraged to have been married long enough to provide the couple sufficient time to establish a home, financial security, and to adjust to the marriage. Married applicants must have a satisfying and secure marriage and be married a minimum of 2 years. If you have questions about any of the documentation required in a home study for adoption, don’t stress out.
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