Anyone adopt through DSS? once you put in your homestudy for a child how long does it take to get approved?

Question

please only people who have been through this please.

Answer 1

We've put in our homestudy in for hundreds of children.  The wait time depends on the caseworker, the process in your state, the child you're submitting your homestudy for, the needs and best interests of that child, and a million other factors.  I've heard of people having a child placed with them within days after their homestudy was approved, and some wait years even when they're putting in for the hard-to-adopt kiddo's.  Not one single person is going to be able to give you anywhere near a ballpark figure for wait time.  It's not possible to tell you how long you'll wait.  I REALLY wish it were possible (LOL), but what keeps us going is knowing that it's a GOOD thing that we're waiting, because that means that kids in our state are finding homes, and there are plenty of people who want them.

Best of luck!

Answer 2

Again, as others have said, it largely depends on your area and your specifics....if you live in a county that has lots of minority children and you only want a white baby, then you wait could be very long. If you will adopt a black or hispanic toddler, pre-teen, or older, then you wait would be relatively short. Typically, healthy white infants and toddlers are the longest waits. Older children are generally short waits (older, meaning above 7). It also depends on your willingness to accept non finalized children (Children who's parents rights have not yet been terminated). Children who are completely legally free for adoption are rare, and often one or both of the parents rights will still be intact. If you are willing to accept the small risk of placement with a child who is not yet legally free, your wait could be much shorter.

We waited 2 1/2 months from the time our homestudy was completed. We live in the deep south and were open to any child of any race that could communicate with us.

Answer 3

It depends on what state you are in and then the county I would assume.  I adopted through DSS in CA, Riverside Co and the process took seven years from beginning to end.  I have to say that once we made it off of the waiting list and into a home study it was about a year and a half from the start of the home study process until we were matched.  Good luck.