please help: home study recommendations

i'm just getting started and am thinking about doing international adoption, but haven't decided on the country or agency, but i know for sure i have to get a home study completed as soon as possible

can any of you fine people recommend anyone or any agency in long island that does independent home studies (where u don't have to use that agency to adopt)

many thanks!

Message edited 8/23/2009 12:34:03 AM.

Re: please help: home study recommendations

sorry, no help here. We used a private SW and did domestic. I dont think it would have been useful for international.

Good luck

Re: please help: home study recommendations

Honestly I would wait to do your homestudy until you decide on what country and what agency you want to go with. Many countries have specific items they need to have in the homestudy and just doing a generic one miight not cover all your bases then you'll just have to redo and spend more money.

Re: please help: home study recommendations

www.whfc.org

Wide Horizons for Children.
We used them for our Ethiopia adoption.
I would highly rec'd them.

Re: please help: home study recommendations

thank you so much ladies for all the info!

much appreciated

Re: please help: home study recommendations

I agree - you should wait particularly if you are planning on doing a foreign adoption. Agencies will recommend a SW that knows the ropes in the country you are adopting from. What you can do is start pulling together documents like your marriage certificate, tax returns, birth certificates, passports, deed to your home.

The thing you really need to do now is research countries and agencies. International adoption is an ever changing world so look at agencies with recent experience in the countries you are considering and make sure you speak to people who have recently brought their children home.

Best of luck to you.