Section 29-1620. ADOPTIVE HOME STUDY SERVICES

 

1620.1 An adoptive home study shall be conducted prior to the placement of a child in a home.

 

1620.2 The child-placing agency shall complete an adoptive home study which is a counseling and assessment process with the primary goal of providing secure nurturing and permanent families for children. In conducting the adoptive home study, the agency shall:

 

(a) Work together with the applicant to evaluate the applicant’s ability and readiness for adoptive parenthood;

 

(b) Make appropriate recommendations regarding the type of child to be placed with the family;

 

(c) Build supportive relationships and activities that will ensure the success of the placement;

 

(d) Provide educational opportunities for the applicant regarding the ongoing adoption process and those issues unique to the type of adoption being considered; and

 

(e) Provide a written report integrating all of the information and culminating in an agency recommendation.

 

1620.3 Each child-placing agency shall provide home study services to families living in the District of Columbia and adjacent jurisdictions which render adoptive services under reciprocal agreements. Each adoptive home study service provided shall be documented in a written report.

 

1620.4 Each adoptive home study report shall include information obtained in at least three (3) face-to-face interviews with each adoptive parent. The home study process shall include:

 

(a) One (1) face-to-face interview with the adoptive couple and one (1) face-to-face individual interview with each applicant;

 

(b) One (1) interview with the prospective adoptors shall take place in the home of the adoptive family; and

 

(c) One (1) face-to-face contact with each member of the potential adoptive family household.

 

1620.5 Each home study report shall include the following information on the adoptive applicants:

 

(a) Dates and types of agency contacts with adoptive applicants and family;

 

(b) Applicant’s motivation for adoption;

 

(c) Verification of date and place of birth of the applicants;

 

(d) Readiness of the applicants to parent a child not born to with them;

 

(e) Identification of each person living in the home;

 

(f) Description of each member of the applicant’s immediate family;

 

(g) The attitudes and feelings of the family and significant others involved with the family toward adoptive children;

 

(h) Attitudes of the applicants toward birth parents and the reasons the children are in need of adoption;

 

(i) Emotional stability and maturity of an applicant, including the capacity to give and receive affection;

 

(j) Physical description and assessment of the personality of the applicants;

 

(k) Assessment of the ability to cope with, problem, stress, crisis, and losses including availability of formal and informal support system;

 

(l) Verification of any present marriage and, if applicable, information on divorces or deaths of former spouses, and an assessment of the compatibility and marital satisfaction and stability of the couple in relation to the length of their marriage;

 

(m) Ability to provide for the child’s physical and emotional needs;

 

(n) Verification of the date and place of birth/adoption of all children in the home of the applicant;

 

(o) Adjustment of children in the home, if applicable;

 

(p) The applicant’s attitude toward discipline and child-rearing;

 

(q) Clearance with the child abuse and neglect registry and record of criminal convictions, if any;

 

(r) A summary of the medical report for each member of the adoptive family living in the household, within six (6) months of the study, which verifies that each person has no communicable disease, specific illness, or disabilities which would interfere with the family’s ability to parent a child;

 

(s) Level of education completed;

 

(t) The applicant’s financial status including current job and income, other sources of income, savings, assets, and liabilities;

 

(u) A minimum of three (3) personal and community character references;

 

(v) The interest, hobbies, and use of leisure time for each applicant;

 

(w) Religious orientation, if any;

 

(x) Description of the home including the adequacy of space and privacy in relation to parent and age and sex of children; and

 

(y) Worker’s assessment of the plan for child care if parents work.

 

1620.6 After completion of the home study, the child-placing agency shall make a recommendation on the adoption which shall be included in the adaptive home study report. If the agency recommends approval of the application, the report shall describe the children which shall include the age, sex, number, and their special needs. If the agency recommends denial of the application, it shall state the reasons for denial.

 

1620.7 If a placement has not been made and twelve (12) months have elapsed since the adoptive home study, a prospective adoptive home shall be re-evaluated.

 

1620.8 In those cases where the initial home study was performed by the same agency as that performing the re-evaluation, the child-placing agency shall do the following:

 

(a) Visit the home of the prospective adoptive parent(s);

 

(b) Have a face-to-face interview with all household members;

 

(c) Update the medical reports on all members of the household; and

 

(d) Make an evaluation of any changes in the information contained in the initial home study.

 

1620.9 In those cases where the initial home study is performed by a different agency, the second child-placing agency shall do the following:

 

(a) Have two (2) visits with the prospective adoptive parents, one (1) of which should be in the home;

 

(b) Have a face-to-face interview with all household members;

 

(c) Update the medical reports on all members of the house-hold; and

 

(d) Make an evaluation of any changes in the information contained in the initial home study.

 

1620.10 After an adoptive placement has been made and the family seeks an additional placement, a home study update shall be performed in accordance with §1620.

 

 

source

Final Rulemaking published at 37 DCR 3033, 3045 (May 11, 1990).