A South Carolina home study for adoption can take several months to complete, and it’s generally one of the longest steps of the adoption process. Getting a head-start as soon as possible can be beneficial in preventing delays in your adoption journey.

All prospective adoptive families in South Carolina must first be approved to adopt by a South Carolina-licensed home study professional, no matter what type of adoption or adoption professional you choose.

Your South Carolina adoption home study is meant to verify your emotional, financial and physical readiness to adopt and raise a child in your home. This is done to ensure the safety of children, not simply to pester potential adoptive parents.

A typical South Carolina home study for adoption includes two parts:

• Submitting home study documents

• Your home study worker visiting your home

South Carolina Home Study Documents

The most time-consuming element of the home study in South Carolina is generally the amount of time it takes for the necessary documents to be processed and reviewed by all the correct state departments. You can help this step move along smoothly by having your home study documentation ready to go as soon as possible. The documents include:

• Current health and financial records

• Background checks

• Individual autobiographical statements about your desire to adopt

• Personal references, which serve as your reference letter for adoption

• And more

In-Home Visit Requirements

Your South Carolina home study adoption professional will complete a series of in-home visits, where they will conduct an inspection and interviews with your whole family.

Home inspections are to ensure that you and your house are able to offer a child a safe and stable environment. Home study professionals look for basic safety elements, including:

• Gated stairways

• Covered electrical outlets

• Screened and locked windows

• Working carbon dioxide and smoke detectors

• Proper storage of toxic materials (cleaning agents, chemicals and medicines) stored out of a child’s reach

• And more

If you don’t already have these safety features in place, don’t worry; your home study professional will help show you ways to prepare for a child to be placed in your home.

Family interviews with your social worker allow them to get to know you as a family and as individuals. You’ll discuss your attitudes about adoption and parenting, your relationships as a family, your plans for discussing adoption with your child and more.

Updating Your S.C. Adoption Home Study

Completed South Carolina home studies remain valid for up to one year, before which point you’ll need to update your home study if you haven’t already been placed with a child.

Home study updates are also required any time you experience a major change in your life, such as a new home or job. South Carolina law also dictates when individual documents within your home study may need to be updated.

Following placement with your child, you home study worker or child-placing agency will conduct post-placement visits to check on how your child is settling into your family. Several months after placement, your adoption will be finalized in court. Ask your SC adoption home study provider about their post-placement requirements to learn more.

South Carolina Adoption Home Study Checklist

There are a number of things you’ll need in order to complete a home study for adoption in South Carolina in addition to the required documentation, safety updates to your home, adoption training courses and more.

To receive the full South Carolina adoption home study checklist and learn more about the home study process, contact a local adoption home study provider. You can also get information about every step for adoption in South Carolina with American Adoptions by calling 1-800-ADOPTION now.

Disclaimer
Information available through these links is the sole property of the companies and organizations listed therein. American Adoptions provides this information as a courtesy and is in no way responsible for its content or accuracy.