you are, then it’s important to keep in mind that one of the most important steps that all prospective adoptive families must take is the initial adoption background check.
Just like the way that birth parents are required to undergo screenings, prospective parents are also required to undergo checks to determine if they are fit to adopt the child. But, what will the adoption background checks consist of?
Is there anything that you and your partner will be able to do to prepare for it? If you’re asking yourself these questions, we are here to lend you a helping hand.
In this guide, we are going to be talking you through all of the top background checks that you can expect to receive as prospective adoptive parents.
By reading through this list, you should find that you are able to better understand what is going to be expected of you throughout the process, so that you can get prepared for it and hopefully streamline the adoptive process. Let’s go ahead and dive in.
Criminal Background Checks
When you decide to go through the process of adopting a child, one of the most important checks that you are going to be subjected to is a criminal background check.
This is most definitely going to be the first check that is conducted into you and your significant other that you wish to adopt after you have submitted your application to become adoptive parents.
It is very important that you allow your adoption agency or adoption professional that you are working with to take a look at both you and your partner’s criminal history to ensure that you are going to be a good fit for adoption of a child.
Keep in mind, having a criminal record does not necessarily mean that you aren’t going to be able to adopt, although criminal caution or convictions against children are absolutely not tolerated.
Ultimately, when you are going forward with an application to adopt, it is very important that you are ensuring that you are being absolutely honest, and the same goes for your partner you plan to adopt with.
Employment Checks
Along with checking your criminal record, you should also make sure that you are prepared for your employment history (including your current employment status) to be checked in order to determine that you are going to be a good fit for taking on an adopted child.
In addition to this, it is also important to keep in mind that this will also apply to your significant other, too.
When vetting prospective adoptive parents, it is very important to make sure that they are going to be able to financially support the adopted child until they legally become an adult.
Due to this, it is necessary that your adoption agency (or the adoption professional in charge of your adoption application) be granted permission to take a look at your employment history, your current role, as well as the annual income shared between you and your partner.
Medical Records
Along with checking your criminal history and your employment status, it is also very important that the medical records of adoptive parents are also checked.
As we’re sure you might very well be aware, it is imperative that adoptive parents are fit and healthy enough to be able to take on the responsibility of a child.
For that reason, your adoption agency will be required to view your medical records so that they can assess whether or not you and your significant other are going to be suitable adoptive parents.
If you have not yet processed your application to become an adoptive parent with your partner, then this is a great time to make sure that you are both taking good care of yourselves to ensure that you are going to meet the medical requirements to be an adoptive parent.
You should be making sure that you are eating healthy foods, maintaining an active lifestyle and addressing any health concerns that you may have with your doctor.
Home Environment
The next main background check that you can expect to get when going through the adoption process is a background check into your living situation.
This is totally normal to happen, and is something that generally happens all over the country, regardless of which state you happen to be living in.
For the most part, you can expect your adoption agency to schedule a home visit with you on a day that suits you.
This will allow them to gain a clear understanding of what your home environment is like, so that they can then go ahead and determine whether or not it will be a good fit for the future child that you are planning to adopt.
While this can certainly feel a little invasive, it is important to remember that this is just a normal part of the adoption process, and serves as a way for your adoption agency to ensure that the needs, welfare and safety of your future child is going to be met.
Relationship With Significant Others
When it comes to placing a child in an adoptive home, it is extremely important that they are going to be living in a safe and secure environment that makes them feel comfortable and happy.
For this reason, along with conducting an at-home visit, your relationship with your significant other will also be checked prior to going through with the adoption placement.
More often than not, you and your significant other will be invited for multiple informal, “interview-style” visits where you will be asked to discuss your relationship in closer detail.
Again, while this might seem a little invasive or off-putting, it’s important to remember that these checks are purely taken out to ensure the welfare of the adoptive child.
As a side note, it is very common for adoptive agencies or an adoption professional to conduct a domestic violence background check.
Again, this is a totally normal part of the adoption background check and simply serves as an additional way for the adoption agency to ensure that the child is going to be placed in a safe environment.
Personal Qualities
Last but certainly not least, you can also anticipate that both yourself and your significant other are going to be vetted for personal attributes.
Even though it is important to make sure that you are hitting the mark on all of the points that we have shared with you above, it is also just as important to make sure that you and your partner are going to be the right kind of people to take on the responsibilities that come with an adopted child.
Of course, while it should go without saying that each adoption case is totally unique – the main attributes that adoptive parents should have are the following:
Patience
Sense of humor
Kindness
Understanding of others
Compassion and empathy
The ability to adjust expectations
The ability to accept rejection
The ability to tolerate and positively deal with negative emotions
Final Thoughts
You’ve made it to the end of our guide. After reading through this guide, we’re sure that you can see just how important it is to get background checks carried out prior to going ahead with the adoptive placement.
Just like the way that the birth parents will be screened to determine whether they are fit to care for their child, adoptive parents will be required to pass a background check in order to ensure that the child will have a safe adoption, and that their welfare and best interests will be maintained (see also “Can A Child Be Adopted Without The Consent Of Both Parents?“).
Now that you have taken the time to read through all of the points that we have discussed with you above, we hope that you have a much clearer understanding of what types of background checks you are going to be subjected to when going through with the adoption process in order to secure a safe and happy placement.
Keep in mind that the checks that we have discussed with you above are just a few examples of the top background checks that are typically required to ensure that your future child will be happy and in a safe environment.
That being said, it’s important to remember that the adoption process can vary depending on which state you are currently residing in, as well as what agency or attorney you have chosen to work with.
For this reason, if you are currently considering going down the route of adopting a child with your significant other, we highly recommend that you speak with a professional for further information on what your background check is going to look like.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read through this guide, and we wish you the best of luck with your adoption!
Hi, I’m Joan Crassel, and I started my firm in 2006, with the goal to help and represent clients in a range of adoption-related matters.
Since then, the firm has gone on to aid hundreds of clients in adoption proceedings, and in other areas of family law.
With this site, I hope that you can find all of the answers that you are looking for, with in depth guides and informative articles from lawyers, not bloggers or social media influencers. We have actual first-hand knowledge of the adoption process, and can provide you with insight that no one else can.
