For class today, we were given a list of some of the questions that could be found for a prospective adoptive parent home study. I thought this was very interesting to see, as I know many families who have gone through this process to adopt and I myself hope to adopt some day.
To start off, I think this is a good list of questions to get an idea of who the people are, though it is hard to know if it is the truth since it is a self-report. I wouldn't add or subtract any questions, but the set of questions that could be hard for some couples are the ones about their parenting philosophy. These could be difficult to answer if you have never had kids before. I feel like even though you may think you know what your parenting philosophy is before you have kids, that is likely to change once you are actually living with them. They are good questions to ask, but it needs to be taken into consideration that those who do not already have children may not know entirely how to answer these questions, and their answers are bound to change once they actually are parents.
I think the amount of time it would take to answer these questions can vary. It may take 2 hours, or it may take 5. It all depends on the personality of the prospective parents and the answers that they give. I think it is important to do a thorough interview, but know that it shouldn't necessarily be your only source of information about the couple. I think coworkers, friends, family, and other acquaintances should also be contacted so that more bases are covered.
As far as the question of non-adoptive parents having to go through a similar reflection process, I think that is something that naturally comes during the 9 month waiting process of the pregnancy. It is obviously much harder for adoptive parents to be truly prepared if they don't go through some sort of process like this because they don't have the physical reminder of a pregnant belly that they will be parents in "x" amount of weeks. It is something my mom talks about a lot with the pre-natal classes she teaches. During the pregnancy period, they talk about questions like these to get the parents-to-be ready to welcome another member into their family.
In the end, I don't think it is too intrusive to ask questions like this to prospective adoptive parents. They need to understand what they are getting into and how they will be able to handle it.
To start off, I think this is a good list of questions to get an idea of who the people are, though it is hard to know if it is the truth since it is a self-report. I wouldn't add or subtract any questions, but the set of questions that could be hard for some couples are the ones about their parenting philosophy. These could be difficult to answer if you have never had kids before. I feel like even though you may think you know what your parenting philosophy is before you have kids, that is likely to change once you are actually living with them. They are good questions to ask, but it needs to be taken into consideration that those who do not already have children may not know entirely how to answer these questions, and their answers are bound to change once they actually are parents.
I think the amount of time it would take to answer these questions can vary. It may take 2 hours, or it may take 5. It all depends on the personality of the prospective parents and the answers that they give. I think it is important to do a thorough interview, but know that it shouldn't necessarily be your only source of information about the couple. I think coworkers, friends, family, and other acquaintances should also be contacted so that more bases are covered.
As far as the question of non-adoptive parents having to go through a similar reflection process, I think that is something that naturally comes during the 9 month waiting process of the pregnancy. It is obviously much harder for adoptive parents to be truly prepared if they don't go through some sort of process like this because they don't have the physical reminder of a pregnant belly that they will be parents in "x" amount of weeks. It is something my mom talks about a lot with the pre-natal classes she teaches. During the pregnancy period, they talk about questions like these to get the parents-to-be ready to welcome another member into their family.
In the end, I don't think it is too intrusive to ask questions like this to prospective adoptive parents. They need to understand what they are getting into and how they will be able to handle it.
Graded Reply #3
ReplyDeleteKatie I think you made great points on your discussion on the home study. I did not think of the importance of the interview compared to the home study contact. I can see how an actual interview would give the social worker and adoption agency a better comprehension if a couple or single parent would be ready for adoption. Another aspect to consider is it would be easier to be dishonest on the home study then in the interview. Many people would say anything or do anything in order to be able to adopt a child, especially since the adoption process can take many years. In the home study, people can spend a lot of time perfecting their answers while in an interview there is less time to think about the answers to the questions. Even though hopefully people would be honest in both the home study and interview process that is not always the case.
As you mentioned the reflection process comes naturally when one is carrying a child and has nine months to prepare for the child with taking prenatal classes or talking to friends and family. However adoptive parents could go through the reflection process for years if they are waiting for their child or talk to resources on how to prepare for the child, even though they do not have the physical reminder like you mentioned. Also some parents decide not to participate in prenatal classes before their child is born which is something consider when asking if all parents should go through some sort of home study while awaiting the birth of their child.
I really enjoyed your thoughts about the home study and thought it was really well written!
Sarah B.