Home visit question - freaking out a little!

I'd relax, it's not usually a big deal. Our SW simply took a look at the babies room, (an empty room we would soon use) and took a little walk around the house. It was mainly a question and answer session regarding family, our parenting style and backgrounds. We had 3 dogs, were never asked about shots, although some may ask. We were provided with all our paperwork to be completed at this time and instructions on how to complete it, clearances, doctor's report, reference letters, etc. It was very stress free and lasted about an hour. Congrats and good luck on your journey!

I was petrified. I expected her to show up with a white glove and check for dust. My DH had just had knee surgery and had been prescribed percocet and I threw them all out because I was convinced she would think we were junkies! As it turns out, she wanted to make sure there was a room for the baby to sleep, that we had a working fire alarm (and maybe a carbon monoxide alarm...I forget) and that was about it. She also interviewed DH and I separately that day, I believe to make sure that we were both sort of on the same page. We had a 140 lb dog that thankfully did not jump on her (she weighed far less than that!). I think before our HS was finalized we had to show vac records, but not that day. Just be yourself and it will be fine (I did have muffins and coffee there by the way which was fine, but not necessary). Good luck!

We had to be certified for foster care in IL to be able to adopt, so we had a list of requirements provided beforehand - I would definitely ask her Monday morning if she has one for you. We live in a new house, so a lot of the stuff didn't apply - lead paint, asbestos, etc. We did have to show that our smoke detectors worked, provide measurements of all rooms, safety latches on cabinets, plugs for outlets, all chemicals/meds/dangerous stuff was out of each, rope ladder for upstairs bedroom, and emergency exit plan. No white glove was produced, she just walked through fairly quickly and we spent the majority of the visit sitting at the kitchen table talking. We did have to provide vaccination records for the dogs, but not at the visit. As far as the baby's room - she did NOT want to see it set up! She told us to get a few essentials and put them in a closet, but not to decorate a nursery - that we needed to be prepared for a call in the middle of the night, but expect to wait years, and walking by a set up nursery everyday would be a cruel reminder. She is a very smart lady! I hope you can relax and enjoy your visit - also, try and come up with a list of questions you have for when she is there so you don't forget! take advantage of her undivided attention while you can! Best of luck!

I agree with eagleswings. Call your SW and ask if they're looking for anything in particular. Other than that, it's usually not a big deal. Ours just wanted to make sure there was a space that would be for the child (it didn't even have to be ready yet). And to make sure that the house wasn't going to fall down or going to be condemmed. I'm not a great housekeeper by any means, nor did we have things childproofed yet (but some agencies are more picky about this). Yes, you probably will need to prove that your dog's vaccinations are up to date at some point in time, but when depends on the agency. Again, call and ask. Snacks would be a nice gesture, but I don't think are totally necessary and might make some workers uncomfortable (they always made me uncomfortable when I was doing home visits - I like to be friendly, but am a picky eater, and felt it was rude to turn things down at the same time). It'll be ok! Breathe! :) And be yourself. :)

Honestly, the SW is more interested in who you are rather than whether you have dust bunnies in the far reaches of the linen closet. Be prepared to talk about very pesonal issues. She will ask how you were parented, and what your parenting philosphy is. If you are married, she will ask about your relationship. She will ask about your support system. Try and think of it as one of the few times in your life in which you really are just talking about yourself, in details that would bore your best friends. But as others have said, each agency is different, and each sw is an individual with slightly different priorities. I was nervous. It was a morning meeting. I set out strawberries bagels and cream cheese and served herbal tea. She ate the strawberries and drank a cup of tea. I have heard of the rare horror story (a married couple being asked inappropriate questions about their sexual activities, and someone who didn't like a project that was going on in someone's yard) but honestly, most people find it a much much much easier experience than they anticipated.

During our homestudy we had to show vet records for our two cats and one dog. We were also asked how long we knew each other before we had sex, if we still had sex and if we both still enjoyed it. I'm starting to think we just had a sick SW though. As far as the house went, she just wanted to see the room the baby would sleep in. I had my house looking like a Better Homes and Gardens magazine spread and our SW never seemed to notice. I didn't bake cookies for the SW visit. However, I bought some apple pie scented candles and burned them in the kitchen and dining room where our interview took place. I learned that trick on HGTV. You're supposed to do that when you have an open house to sell your home. It supposedly makes people feel relaxed and comfortable. Just relax, be yourself and answer any questions the SW may have as honestly as possible. You'll do fine! Good Luck!

I too was pretty stressed and used the scented candles and had homemade cookies and a variety of other snacks. She didn't touch them and she just had a glass of water and interviewed us... that was the majority of it. She did interview us together first, then separately. We have a lot of nieces and nephews and I think she kind of quizzed me on their names and ages to see if we were really as close as we said we were. She asked some of the same things as other posters have mentioned also including about our relationship and our families. No sex questions were asked thank goodness! She toured the house but didn't act like she was checking for cleanliness or anything. She wrote a lot of info and she used that and our profile, police checks, etc to write the report which she had ready in about 3 days. She emailed us a copy of the draft to check for accuracy and then had the official report done in less than a week. She was extremely nice and we still send her pics of the kids. We felt we were very lucky to have had her.

Relax! I was so nervous for my first visit too but after she left I was like "that was it!!". Haha. For our first visit we got a bunch of paperwork including a checklist for items that were required in the home (smoke detector, cabinet locks, fire extinguisher, meds etc locked up etc). Then on our second visit she expected these things to be finished. We did not have to have the nursery set up, she was satisfied with us showing her the crib and mattress in the attic. She just wanted to know the set up of our house, if there was adequate space and privacy for the new baby. I agree with calling on Monday to see if you need things to be "home study ready" on the first visit. Good luck with everything! Don't be too nervous, most sw's try to be very helpful. They don't expect you to know everything about adopting (most of them anyway...or ones I have met with) at the first visit. Let us know how it goes!

When I saw your post I really started laughing before I was just like you! I think we all where :) Like everyone esle said relax and everything withh will be ok. They just wanna check baby room and see if house os ok. We needed fire alarms, carbon Mioxcide (sp?) detecter, fire extinguisher etc... which we all got from home depot.

Wow, this brings back memories! I was sooooooo nervous and convinced we were going to fail for some reason... I had cleaned the house top to bottom spotless, obsessed for weeks, and the social worker barely looked at anything, it seemed. We showed her around the house, and she spent maybe 30 seconds in each room, looking around (not in any detail, not in closets, cabinets, the fridge, etc.). Then we spent probably a couple hours talking -- she interviewed each of us seperately, then both of us together for awhile too. Honestly, they are there to help you adopt a child, not to look for things that are wrong. But it is so hard to remember that at the time. Good luck. You will be fine.

We just had our final in-home interview on Friday. I know everyone's homestudy process is different, but ours was a total breeze. She took a quick peek into each of the rooms, only spending a bit more time in what will become our nursery, as we showed her some of the baby items we received from my wonderful SIL. I had baked a small plate of cookies, and she had one of those and a glass of water, and we sat down and talked about our courtship and marriage, and our opinions on birthparents. None of the questions were ultra-personal, mostly how we divvy up chores, stuff like that. She had scheduled 3 hours for the interview, but it only took a little over 2. As she was leaving, I asked her to confirm what she'd told us previously (that it would be about 6 weeks before we knew if we were approved or not) - and she told us right then and there that we were approved! (Not sure how common that is among the posters on this forum, though.) Everyone here told me not to stress about it, and I'll pass those wise words on to you. :) Good luck!!

I was panicked over mine also. I made coffee and had some veggies and dip and hummus and pita and put it all out on the coffee table. She wanted to sit at the dining room table and we sat there, started talking and she said "is the dog supposed to be eating that?" I turned around and the dog was starting to eat the stuff on the coffee table! Argh! I rescued it and she nibbled a bit, but it was fine. She was allergic to dogs and my dog was a puppy and kept going over to her. I fed her treats non-stop to keep her away! We joked about how I could not use the TV to entertain the dog like I would a child.Remember- the social worker is really there to help you. She wants to get to know you and make sure you are fit but also to answer questions for you and make sure you understand all the issues related to adoption. Good luck!

I had my in-home interview last Thursday. Mine was probably a wee bit different because I'm going through the foster system....so my state visit that I had about a month ago focused on the safety issues/cabinet locks/fire alarms etc. We didn't go over that in this homestudy visit. I have also already taken my classes so my sw assigned to me was already familiar with me as she co-taught the classes I took for 11 weeks. She had already told the class that she was trying to lose weight and to not make stuff to eat, that a drink (water, juice) would suffice on the hosting side LOL She stayed about 2 1/2 hours, she toured my home, met my dog, we talked about ME and my background, what I do, my life in general, what plans I had for childcare (I'm single), what would I do if I met a guy after I had the child(ren), and then we went over preferences....she was basically trying to figure out if I would be better matched with a boy or girl (since you could have a preference from foster care) and she told me she totally could see me with both...(I have no gender specifications) It was actually a fun visit, but I know I was stressed because I broke out in a monster zit that morning and it was pretty much gone the next day LOL Just be yourself. They really want you as adoptive parents, they're not trying to "flunk"/not approve you. My approval letter should come within a month....if everything runs smoothly in the office my sw said to me as well. GOOD LUCK and ENJOY the process...after all this is helping you bond with your future child imo.