FOSTER CARE HOMESTUDY | Homestudy Tips and Tricks for Foster Care & Adoption

Рет қаралды 25,029

Күн бұрын

The homestudy is one of the scariest parts of becoming a foster family. We endured several homestudy reports because we were licensed through the state and with a private agency. We feel like we can help you not to worry or be afraid of the homestudy!
There are three parts to the homestudy:
Paperwork 0:55
Interview 2:30
Home Walk-Through 4:46
Also, in addition to the links below, check out this link to purchase my t-shirt from the Goods & Better Store: www.goodsandbetterstore.com?ref=kristalblack
Every purchase (even the stickers) benefits a child entering foster care and you get to choose your impact! I always pick luggage. :)
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We want to answer your questions about foster care and adoption! Contact us through our website and find resources like parenting and adoption resources in addition to website and vlogging resources.
wearezero2five.com/
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INSTAGRAM @zero_2_five / zero_2_five
FACEBOOK @wearezero2five / wearezero2five
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We would love to hear from you!
Zero2Five Family
P.O. Box 625
Reeds Spring, MO 65737
#vloggingfamily #youtubefamily #christianfamilyvloggers #adoption #fostercare
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We are the Black Family! We went from zero to five kids overnight through the miracle of adoption and foster care. We are learning to be a family together and want to inspire and encourage others to get involved in their state's foster program. We take lots of adventures together but...let's face it...parenting 5 kids is an adventure all on it's own!!

Пікірлер: 81

@Zero2FiveFamily 4 жыл бұрын

Homestudy’s can be super scary but after doing several of them for fostering and adopting, we want you to know what to expect. Each state and location may differ a bit but this was our experience. If you have any questions, we would love it if you reached out. Thanks for watching!❤️

@dubizingler1548 3 жыл бұрын

Why several of them?

@Zero2FiveFamily 3 жыл бұрын

Hi Dubi, that’s a great question. We actually had several homestudies because we first started with a private agency and the state would not use our home study we did with the private agency. We also had to renew the state fostering homestudy after a certain period of time, I believe it is two years with the state of Missouri. We have found out that each state is a little different with their rules and requirements for fostering and adopting. Thanks for the question!🤗❤️

@dubizingler1548 3 жыл бұрын

@@Zero2FiveFamily thanks otr the answer! Btw, do you have to go through the home visitation process again when you move to a new house?

@Zero2FiveFamily 3 жыл бұрын

Dubi, I’m not exactly sure how that one would work. I would guess that the case worker that you work with would just need to make sure the home is safe for the kids and that the home meets all the requirements the state has set in place. In Missouri we had a caseworker that we worked with and then the child/children have a caseworker. Our caseworker made sure that everything was up to date and we were meeting all the states requirement. We were fortunate enough to have amazing caseworkers to work with and they made things go smoothly. ❤️

@The_Beach_Lady 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks…. That was my question too lol

@WorldsStrongestGay Жыл бұрын

This is so great! My husband and I are beginning the conversation about becoming Foster parents, and these videos have helped so much! Reading on the state foster website is great from a logistical standpoint, but hearing first hand experiences helps so much more!

@Zero2FiveFamily Жыл бұрын

Thank you! Yes, we definitely learned more just talking with others that had fostered than from the state. Even when we took our foster classes, the instructors were not great and felt that there was so much they should of told us that they didn’t. Thank goodness we stuck through them. We found other foster parents and adoptive parent were the best resource. We did have several great caseworkers after we got started fostering that were very helpful too.❤️🤗

@jessicagamble6162 4 жыл бұрын

This popped up on my KZfaq and our homestudy is today. Thanks for calming my nerves! Can't wait for it to be over- our house will never be this clean again :)

@Zero2FiveFamily 4 жыл бұрын

Jessica Gamble thank you! Yes, I remember our first homestudy was super scary.😰😬 And, our house never looked so clean.😉. So how did it go? Love to hear your experience!🤗💕

@ShadowCatDreams 2 жыл бұрын

We are hoping to adopt from foster care in the state of Florida. I just found your channel - and I am so grateful for this guidance. There really isn’t much about foster care adoptions on the internet. Thank you for sharing your experiences!! 💛

@Zero2FiveFamily 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Iryna, we are so glad you found our channel and hope for it to be a great resource and encouragement as you begin your journey into foster care and adoption. When we first got started in our journey we struggled finding guidance and help walking through the process. We reached out to many sources but only got a tiny bit of information or guidance from each resource we reached out too, so I know the struggle. Feel free to reach out to us with any questions or struggles you have along the way and we would love to help. We strive to read every comment and answer every question or point you in a direction where you could get an answer. If you like to read we have a video coming out this morning that are 4 books we recommend foster/adoptive/parents read. They were and still are very helpful in fostering and raising up our kids. Thanks for reaching out!🤗❤️

@beautifullyblendedtogether 2 жыл бұрын

I’m hoping we can adopt from foster care too!

@tejaswoman 7 ай бұрын

Here in texas, things like medications or alcohol have to be behind TWO sets of locks, such as a locked cabinet or closet within a locked room. Medications includes things as simple as aspirin, and you can't have them in your purse, for example, I was told in a fostering orientation.

@Zero2FiveFamily 7 ай бұрын

Woah, they are much stricter in Texas. We just had to have them locked up but not twice locked. And I could keep medicines in my purse or they just never mentioned it to us. Thanks for sharing!❤️

@visi7891 Жыл бұрын

thank you so much for this. ya'll are parenting the next generation of foster parents lol I'll be doing this in a couple of years! late-20s female here

@Zero2FiveFamily Жыл бұрын

Vi Si thank you! That’s so exciting, so many kids need a loving caring home. ❤️🤗

@icequeen2669 4 жыл бұрын

So happy I found you! We are fostering in MO and enjoy your videos!

@Zero2FiveFamily 4 жыл бұрын

So glad you found us!!! That’s so awesome you are here in Missouri. Thanks for watching and let us know if we can help in any way!❤️🤗

@sylviegamboa106 2 жыл бұрын

One of the best videos I've seen ..your so informative yet kind.

@Zero2FiveFamily 2 жыл бұрын

Awe Sylvie, thank you! So glad you have found it helpful!🤗❤️

@healingforall8967 3 жыл бұрын

I'm glad I found you!! I'm geting paper work ready for the homestudy.

@Zero2FiveFamily 3 жыл бұрын

Hi Dr. Sherri Psych, that’s so awesome!👏🙌. I remember it feeling a little overwhelming all the paperwork and documents we had to complete for the homestudy. So have you already completed your foster classes? 🤗❤️

@theKushkween420 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much this was super helpful.

@Zero2FiveFamily 3 жыл бұрын

Love hearing that!!! Thanks for watching!🤗❤️

@LaurenVBaney13 4 жыл бұрын

Love your shirt!!

@Zero2FiveFamily 4 жыл бұрын

Lauren Baney thank you!!! Just order another style on Sunday! Excited to get it! Love them!!!🤗❤️

@createyoursecondhalf Жыл бұрын

Great information! Thank you. I’m in NC and just beginning the process. Your ideas are helpful and encouraging.

@Zero2FiveFamily Жыл бұрын

Awe, thank you! ❤️

@wendythomas4930 3 жыл бұрын

Awesome info.!

@Zero2FiveFamily 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you!🤗❤️

@yousifabdalmajid8864 4 жыл бұрын

Fanatastic!

@Zero2FiveFamily 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you!!! 💕🤗

@williamlewin9610 3 жыл бұрын

We are trying to get our grandkids out of foster care ,thanks for the advice.

@Zero2FiveFamily 3 жыл бұрын

So glad we could be of help. 🤗❤️

@teresaschaeffer7323 Жыл бұрын

We're in the fight of our life for our granddaughter. We tried to get custody of her BEFORE she went into foster care. It's not going good at all.😢

@cheriedavies6116 2 ай бұрын

I’m currently caring for my grandchild. 7 months later they are going for kinship and now I have to go through all of this.

@augustusgreen7881 4 жыл бұрын

Happy 4th of July weekend

@Zero2FiveFamily 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you, you too! 🤗

@janellesutton-keeth414 3 жыл бұрын

My husband and I are just finishing our training for our licensing for foster parents, we also live in Missouri too (Lake of the Ozarks to be exact). Due to covid, all our training has been online, and we are just scheduling our home study for next week. I’m a substitute teacher and my husband is a police officer. We don’t make tons of $, but we have both been in our jobs for 6+yrs. We have a bio 13yr old daughter, who is just as excited as we are!

@Zero2FiveFamily 3 жыл бұрын

This is so exciting Janelle! What a great example for your daughter. I absolutely love how excited she is. I think you and your husband's experiences with kids through your jobs will be so helpful and the connections you have because of those jobs is a tremendous asset. We enjoyed the homestudy process (except the paperwork of course) because we were able to ask lots of questions and get some good feedback from the person doing the homestudy. Don't be nervous! Keep us posted and let us know if there is anything we can do for you!

@cheriessoblessedformerlyfear Жыл бұрын

I learned things I didn't know .. this was a good lesson and now I'm not sure lol I've got some work to do

@Zero2FiveFamily Жыл бұрын

Hi fearfaction5541, hopefully we didn’t scare you about the homestudy. Our goal is that this video would be helpful understanding the process and somewhat prepared. Would love to know your experience through it.🤗❤️

@cole9m2550 10 ай бұрын

We are empty nesters I'm looking into fostering..I need all the help I can get

@Zero2FiveFamily 10 ай бұрын

There’s never a better time to start than right now.😁. It can definitely be overwhelming and intimidating but if your interested just take it one step at a time. If your ready to get started I would reach out to your local children’s division and they can discuss it with you and next steps to start fostering. Every states foster system rules and regulations are slightly different so your local division would be able to answer more specific questions to fostering in your area. Feel free to ask any question you may have and I’ll do my best to answer it from our experience and what we encountered. Thanks for reaching out!🤗❤️

@DOOMbyach 4 жыл бұрын

I'm in the UK but I assume the principles would be the same (obviously no guns) but Thanks for the video, a lot of it seems like common sense so definitely feel calmer about it :D

@Zero2FiveFamily 4 жыл бұрын

Paula Karolina not exactly sure how it is in the UK but we were terrible worried about the homestudy and everyone kept telling us not to worry too much about it and just be yourself and real and it will go smoothly. They were correct! Actually after our first homestudy, we enjoyed all the others... yes we had to have quite a few homestudys due to working with the state and also an independent adoption agency. Paula we’ll pray you’ll do great and that you’ll feel calm. 👍❤️🤗

@DOOMbyach 4 жыл бұрын

Zero 2 Five Family thank you so much 😊 on paper we have all the requirements and we worked on the house to be safe but stress does get to you! Thanks again for the video it’s great 👍🏼

@crissieburdette4654 7 ай бұрын

Would we still need to have the door safety knobs, lock up knives, and cleaning supplies (I understand meds and guns) if we only wanted to foster older kids, like teens?

@Zero2FiveFamily 7 ай бұрын

That’s a great question, don’t believe you would have to have door safety knob, locked knives or cleaning supplies locked up with older children unless there is a know issue. When you start the homestudy they do several walkthroughs just to see your house and make suggestions or tell you what would need to change. It seems very intimidating but we actually did so many we kind of enjoyed it. It gave us another opportunity to ask question and make our home safe for those kiddos we fostered. 😁

@hanygonzalez7476 4 жыл бұрын

Hey! If I had an issue with anxiety back when I was 14 to 17 years old, will that be an issue?

@Zero2FiveFamily 4 жыл бұрын

Zabdy Monroy I would not think it would be an issue. I would be up front with the case works and just let them know so they are not surprised later. What we found is they want you to be a foster parent and want you to succeed and give these children a safe place to live. Again, I do not believe that because you struggled with anxiety in your past it would prevent you from fostering. I believe lots of foster was parents struggle with anxiety, us included! 😁❤️

@pianotypeperson 3 ай бұрын

My husband and I are looking into fostering with the intent on adopting a single child. I have autoimmune diseases and have had anxiety and recurrent depression most of my life. I am treated with medication. I have never been hospitalized in any way due to those conditions. Is there a risk of me not being accepted even though my conditions are well managed? I do not really have a work history persay. I have been doing volunteer work since I was 10 years old and am 39 now. Ofcourse when I was a kid it was a Saturday thing /summer. I also helped take care of my honorary grandma for a timespan as well as was dubbed choir and musical mom (my husband had played piano for a couple of schools and I was right along side with him making sure that kids has someone who was there for them. Do you think the lack of actual work will be held against me? We have been married 19 years and my husband has always been employed steadily. We are also in Missouri (st Francis county) I’m sorry this is long. I’ve been thinking about adopting since a maternal instinct kicked in about a year and a half ago.

@bridgetheuvel2859 3 жыл бұрын

I'm two years into recovery from an eating disorder that I had to go into a four-month inpatient care program to treat. I'll probably have another 2 years of recovery by the time I start applying to become a foster parent. Do you think this would hurt my chances of being accepted?

@Zero2FiveFamily 3 жыл бұрын

Hi Bridget from our experiences in fostering I would say it would probably wouldn’t, but I would be very open with everyone about your situation. The best thing we found was to be transparent with everyone. I would make sure you do have a handle on it because fostering can be challenging a times but remember there is always resources out there to help with different situations while fostering. We took advantage of many of the resources and we were so thankful for them. I think it’s so awesome you made it two years in recovery, keep up the good work! 👏 🤗❤️

@user-eh6yq2hk7w 11 ай бұрын

How did you Foster a kid this will be my first time to foster a kid

@Zero2FiveFamily 11 ай бұрын

So we started fostering after we complete our classes and homestudy through the state of Missouri. It took a couple months after we got our license before we took a placement due to our schedules and the phone calls we did get about placement we did not feel like we could handle/provide everything the child would need. Our first placement were two young children who stayed with us for a little over a month, until they moved in with grandparents. 🤗❤️

@flsmith813 2 жыл бұрын

Do the child's bed and room need to be set up for the home study for MO?

@Zero2FiveFamily 2 жыл бұрын

Yes, it doesn’t have to be when you first start your homestudy but by the final walk thru I believe the homestudy caseworker will need to see the child’s bed and living setup. So to give you an idea we had a kids room setup with two twin beds and another bedroom setup for guest on our final walk thru. We told our homestudy caseworker that we would quickly accommodate what ever placement we would take on and rearrange bedrooms to make it work. As we continued to foster we ended up buying three bunk beds and two twin beds to rearrange the bedrooms to accommodate whatever placement we decide to take. We just stored the extra in the attic when they were not in use. Thanks for reaching out!🤗❤️

@karmasgames6045 2 жыл бұрын

will it count in criminal record that one of our alters stole a toy from a store years ago when we were in the body of a 7 y/o? everyone in the system has ADHD, Anxiety and ODD. Riot has C-PTSD. Everyone else doesn't know if they have other disorders. Will this be a problem?

@Zero2FiveFamily 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Karmas Games, thanks again for reaching out! I commented on your other post which kind of goes with this. Each state is different on how they handle past situations. They want to make sure your home is a safe and good fit for the child. My opinion for you and please don’t take this in the wrong way, would be to seek some Godly council to help guide you with these disorders. I would wait to start fostering till you knew for sure these issues were taken care of. I trust the God can and will help destroy these disorders in your life. I just know how much trauma can come with fostering. We are here to help and protect the child/children during this difficult time in their life, so you must make sure you are ready yourself. I want to let you know our family will be praying for you this week! Don’t hesitate to reach out, we would love to help any way we can. 🤗❤️

@user-dg9ls1xt4h 3 жыл бұрын

Just curious what are or are there any regulation on pets other than being up to date on vaccines

@Zero2FiveFamily 3 жыл бұрын

Each state is different, I think that is all they required of us here in Missouri. The caseworker that does your home study will want to meet your pets to make sure they are safe. Pets are an awesome ice breaker when kiddos first arrive. We think they’re a big asset to foster parents! 🤗❤️

@_levi_that_boy_4812 2 жыл бұрын

Question what does it mean when the fingerprints taking too long to come back

@Zero2FiveFamily 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Rayford’s, I’m not sure I can answer your question but if I was guessing I would say either something got lost, paperwork errors, or they are just behind. Thanks for reaching out!🤗❤️

@coy7867 3 жыл бұрын

Hello! Do a home study actually take 6 months to complete ?

@Zero2FiveFamily 3 жыл бұрын

coy thanks for the question! Each state is a little different on requirements and each case is different on the exact time it takes to complete homestudy. If I remember right ours took approximately three months to complete and was started as we were taking our foster classes. With our home study we had tons of documents to fill out, fingerprinting, background checks, doctor visits, statements from other about us, vet records, multiple home visit, and multiple other things to do for the homestudy which takes some time to complete. It somewhat depends on you on how quickly you get your requirements done but it still takes time to put the whole homestudy together. Thanks again for reaching out. 🤗❤️

@christineleroy5873 3 жыл бұрын

i know someone who wants to foster adopt. she has been in the hospital multiple times for anxiety and depression. shes in counselling and on meds and doing well. would she get denied to foster adopt.

@Zero2FiveFamily 3 жыл бұрын

Fostering can be challenging and trying. I would suggest that she made sure she had good control on her anxiety and depression. With fostering it can be very stressful and could potentially make it even worse. Each state requires a homestudy and would determine whether or not some one is a good fit or not. Hope this is helpful!🤗❤️

@tejaswoman 7 ай бұрын

Best wishes for your friend or family member. If she lives in the United States, do let her know that if she isn't yet to where she can foster a child directly, she might still be able to help through a local CASA program, volunteering as a Court-Appointed Special Advocate. CASA volunteers receive special, free training to prepare them to be one additional set of eyes on kids in foster care and a consistent element in a child's experience, there to advocate for the child. Whereas caseworkers and lawyers generally are assigned multiple cases, a CASA handles only one case at a time, which may involve one child or siblings. They check in on the placement at least once a month and also gather information about medical care, school if applicable, and so on, which they summarize in a report to assist the judge in making decisions. In a situation in which a child isn't here for quite some time, the caseworker and even lawyers on the case may change, while the CASA remains assigned for the life of the case. It is a much less demanding way to help, and while occasionally a CASA goes on to be a foster or adoptive parent - at which point they must cease to be a CASA, to avoid conflicts of interest - many volunteers are people who want to help kids and families but for whatever reason are not in a position to take in a child themselves. This responsibility is one that many people with conditions such as anxiety or depression still can manage to do.

@therapkingfamily7550 Жыл бұрын

If you were missing anything on the list would they just tell you that you need to get it or would it require another visit?

@Zero2FiveFamily Жыл бұрын

Hi therapkingfamily7550, so normally with the homestudy they come to your house several times and yes they make suggestions or things you need to do to complete the homestudy. We were terribly nervous at first and then after it was over we laughed at ourselves for being so nervous. I’m sure each state may have slightly different rules but for example we had to get a different fire extinguisher 🧯 and lock ammunition up separately from the guns. But the homestudy worker did a brief walkthrough during the first visit. If I remember correctly we had three visits and just had to make any adjustments/corrections before the final in home visit.🤗❤️

@unscriptedmomlife Жыл бұрын

Did I miss the lock link to amazon ?

@Zero2FiveFamily Жыл бұрын

Hi @unscriptedmomlife it should be in the description below video. But here is the link to what we used if you can’t find it. Thanks for reaching out. amzn.to/2BvZHtP

@tejaswoman 7 ай бұрын

If you click through the link that they put in the comment just above this one, in response to your original question, you may see that it says "out of stock" - if you scroll down a little bit, you will see that there is a newer version of that same set of locks.

@williamlewin9610 2 жыл бұрын

Can a West Virginia judge over rule a home study what CPS stopped ?

@Zero2FiveFamily 2 жыл бұрын

Hi William, thanks for reaching out. I’m don’t believe I’m going to know the answer to your question.😳. I’m sorry! What we have learned is each state has different rules and laws governing the foster system. I would reach out to the West Virginia Department if Health and Human Resources(WVDHHR), they may be able to answer your question. I know here in Missouri, the judge makes the final decision on major decisions for the children, based off the cases workers and Guardian ad Litem(GAL) information given to the judge. Sorry, I’m not more helpful on this question. Thanks again for reaching out, though!🤗❤️

@meschahayes1003 3 жыл бұрын

Your story about being chosen, "writing a big fat check", and coming home with an empty car seat TERRIFIES me. Who gets the money?! Why are there no protections for hopeful adoptive parents? I spent an entire summer researching this and found the safest yet, most expensive agency, was American Adoptions. We haven't signed on yet but at least your money rolls over until you are placed successfully. At least that's my understanding. Do you know anyone who has used that agency?

@Zero2FiveFamily 3 жыл бұрын

I completely understand and definitely do not want you to be afraid. What happened to us is not unheard of but is definitely not the norm. We could have rolled over the money we had spent to our next match if we had chosen to stay with the adoption agency. To be honest, we felt like our journey with them was done and our purpose was fulfilled. Of course, we would have loved to receive all of our money back. Instead, we considered it an investment in the woman we had momentarily been matched with. I have not heard of anyone who has used American Adoptions. You should be assigned to a caseworker when you are accepted into their program and I highly recommend being honest about your fears with him/her. I love the quote by Doug Chapman that says, "If you have the heart for adoption, don't let fear stand in the way." I was so afraid, but I'm grateful I didn't let fear stop me. Thank you so much for reaching out! Please keep us posted and feel free to reach out anytime. ❤️

@bro3080 3 жыл бұрын

can i pick the kid what i like through photos?

@Zero2FiveFamily 3 жыл бұрын

Well, there are different situations. At least here in Missouri there are foster kids on the waiting list to be adopted. How fostering worked in our case we normally got a phone call or email about a placement with and a little information about the child or children and them we would decide if we wanted to foster or not. Normally did not see photos before fostering, usually just received a little information on the child.