Idaho Administrative Code › Title IDAPA 16 - Health and Welfare, Department of › Rule 16.06.01 - CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES › BECOMING AN ADOPTIVE PARENT › Section 16.06.01.762 - COMPLETING THE ADOPTION HOME STUDY

Current through August 31, 2023
Upon application by a potential adoptive family, the family
				  services worker or certified adoption professional will conduct the
				  pre-placement adoptive home study and issue a recommendation. The home study
				  must be completed prior to placement of any child for adoption in that home.
				  (3-15-22)
01.
Interviews
. Family assessment interviews as well as individual
				interviews must be held with the prospective adoptive parent(s).
				(3-15-22)
02.
Content
. Adoption home studies for foster care, special needs,
				independent, relative, and stepparent adoptions must include an assessment of
				the following: (3-15-22)
a. Names, including
				maiden or other names used by the applicant(s); (3-15-22)
b. Legal verification that the person(s)
				adopting is at least fifteen (15) years older than the child, or twenty-five
				(25) years of age or older, except in cases where the adopting person is a
				spouse of the child's parent, must be accomplished by: (3-15-22)
i. Viewing a certified copy of the birth
				certificate filed with the Bureau of Vital Statistics; or (3-15-22)
ii. Viewing one (1) of the following
				documents for which a birth certificate was presumably required prior to its
				issuance, such as: armed services or other governmental identification,
				including a valid Idaho driver's license, passport, visa, alien identification
				cards, or naturalization papers. (3-15-22)
iii. If verifying documentation is not
				available, the report must indicate the date and place of birth and reason for
				lack of verification. (3-15-22)
c. Verification that the family has resided
				and maintained a dwelling within the State of Idaho for at least six (6)
				consecutive months prior to the filing of the petition; (3-15-22)
d. Adequacy of the family's house, property,
				and neighborhood for the purpose of providing adoptive care as determined by
				on-site observations; (3-15-22)
e.
				Educational background of the applicant(s); (3-15-22)
f. A statement of employment, family income,
				and financial resources, including access to health and life insurance and the
				family's management of these resources; (3-15-22)
g. Current and historical mental illness,
				drug or alcohol abuse, and medical conditions and how they may impact the
				adoptive parent(s) ability to care for an adopted child; (3-15-22)
h. Previous criminal convictions and history
				of child abuse and neglect; (3-15-22)
i. Family history, including childhood
				experience and the applicant(s) parents' methods of discipline and
				problem-solving; (3-15-22)
j.
				Verification of marriages and divorces; (3-15-22)
k. Decision-making, communication, and roles
				within the marital relationship, if applicable; (3-15-22)
l. The names, ages, and addresses of all
				biological and adopted children currently residing inside or outside the home.
				Information regarding the current adjustment and special needs of the
				applicant(s) children; (3-15-22)
m.
				The religious and cultural practices of the family, including their ability to
				nurture and validate a child's particular cultural, racial, religious, and
				ethnic background; (3-15-22)
n. For
				an Indian child, the study will also determine the prevailing social and
				cultural standards of the Indian community in which the parent(s) or extended
				family resides or maintains social and cultural ties. (3-15-22)
o. Individual and family functioning
				including inter-relationships with each member of the household and the
				family's ability to help a child integrate into the family; (3-15-22)
p. Activities, interests, and hobbies;
				(3-15-22)
q. Child care and
				parenting skills, including historical and current methods of discipline used
				in the home; (3-15-22)
r. Reasons
				for applying for adoption; (3-15-22)
s. The family's prior and current experiences
				with adoption, understanding of adoption, and ability to form relationships and
				bond with a specific child or general description of children;
				(3-15-22)
t. The attitudes toward
				adoption by immediate and extended members of the family and other persons who
				reside in the home; (3-15-22)
u.
				Specifications of the child preferred by the family that include the number of
				children, age, gender, race, ethnic background, social, emotional, and
				educational characteristics. The family's ability to accept the behavior and
				personality of a specific child (if known) or general description of children
				and their ability to meet the child's particular educational, developmental,
				and psychological needs; (3-15-22)
v. Emotional stability and maturity in
				dealing with the needs, challenges, and related issues associated with the
				placement of a child into the applicant(s) home; (3-15-22)
w. The family's attitude about an adopted
				child's birth family including: (3-15-22)
i.
				Their ability to accept a child's background and help the child cope with their
				past; and (3-15-22)
ii. Their
				willingness to work with the child's family or tribe;
				(3-15-22)
x. Training
				needs of the applicant(s); and (3-15-22)
y. A recommendation regarding the family's
				ability to provide adoptive care to a specific child (if known) or general
				description of children. (3-15-22)