Homestudy Complete

Our homestudy is finally complete!  Insert "Yahoo!" here :)   This comes with both a sigh of relief and a little nervousness as we continue to move forward in this adoption journey.   A sigh of relief because the homestudy is a big job and not cheap (around $3000).  Nervousness because I know that the homestudy is part of the process we can control -- we are the ones who have to get the checklist completed and so the ball can roll as fast or as slow as we please.  The time is coming where the ball will not be in our court anymore and we simply have to wait.  This makes me nervous and even, dare I say it, anxious.  I am not good at waiting! 

Our homestudy took us about five months from our submission of our application to the signed copy in our hands.  This was mostly due to me working and not having much extra time for the paperwork required.  Let me give you a brief overview of what the homestudy consists of:

Initial application and payment (our practitioner required payment up front)
SAFE Questionnaire which consisted of 16 pages of questions that each of us had to fill out 
Medical Report completed by our family doctor for each of us
Local Police Clearance 
RCMP fingerprinting
Child Welfare Agency Record Check (from two different agencies)
Financial Statement
Home Safety Checklist
10 Reference Letters/Checklists

We also met with our practitioner a number of times.  We interviewed as a couple and  in her office as well as had her visit us in our home so she could both meet our children and see where we live.  

The final document is 26 pages (single-spaced!!)which covers our basic demographic stats, our motivation for adopting another child, our physical appearances, personalities, interests/hobbies and future goals, our family lifestyle, household rules, roles and expectations, our experience and views on discipline, our pets, our recreational, social and religious activities, and information on our home and community.  This is only the first half of the document!  The second half consists of our childhood and family history, education and employment history and our marital relationship.  We were also asked many questions about the personalities of our children and our extended family relationships.  The final few pages cover our finances, short and long-term planning for our family as well as reflecting on what we learned at our PRIDE training (issues like separation and loss, attachment and bonding, cross cultural issues and available resources) and awareness of open adoption. 

Whew!   No wonder it took five months to collect and organize. 

It is interesting to read about your life written out objectively and knowing that this is what the Ministry of Children and Youth Services will be using when they decide whether or not to approve an adoption placement.   At the end of our homestudy there is a simple statement that opens the door: 

"It is recommended that Joshua Clarence Tuininga and April Joy Tuininga 

be approved for adoption."  

And while this seems like the obvious conclusion, it is an important and satisfying one as well.  

I have an adoptive mom friend who tells me that if she is feeling down about herself and is struggling as a parent, she simply reads her homestudy.  It reminds her of all her good traits she has as an individual and as a mother.  It refreshes and encourages her.   What a great way to look at this huge document! 

Our next big deal is our consultation with our adoption agency which will happen in the next few weeks.  Please continue to pray for our family, our future child (and his/her birth parents) and all the folks involved in making our dream a reality.  

Blessings, 
April