information for practice

Homestudies should not be expected to identify only “perfect families.” All families have areas of weakness. The homestudy should act as an educational tool that will help families be successful. It is also a screening process that acts to remove families who are markedly unsuitable for parenting children who will need extra help from sensitive parents. The two percent of prospective families who should not adopt children are also the ones who take inordinate amounts of time away from the child welfare system. Identifying unsuitable families before, not after placement, allows for significantly more time for post-placement training and support for families, completing adoptions, and recruiting more families.