Triangle Adoption Services FAQ

1. Tell us a little about the founding and development of your organization?
   Triangle Adoption Services was founded in 2010; however, the agency owner and executive director has been working with adoptive families and adoptees in various capacities since 1990. The agency was founded based on the need for an adoption home study provider with a home base in the “Triangle” region of North Carolina. Since the agency’s inception, we have expanded to provide home study services throughout the state. We carefully select our highly qualified and caring social workers and get overwhelming positive feedback from our clients for the excellent services we provide. It has been an amazing experience to lead this team of social workers and help adoptive families fulfill their dream of parenthood.
2. How are your adoption home study and your organization unique?
   As the owner and executive director, I decided early on to focus on providing prompt service and follow through with families and lead them through the home study process with all of the attention and care they need. We do not impose an application fee and provide a very reasonable rate for our services.
3. Why are you passionate about adoption and the home study process?
   My biography on my website does a very nice job of explaining the specifics, but to condense it: I am an adoptee and consider it an enormous privilege to have a small part in bringing adoptive parents and their “forever” children together. I have an intimate knowledge and respect for all members of the adoption triad and I believe that my personal connection to adoption makes me a more insightful, compassionate adoption professional.
4. How long is an adoption home study valid?
   In NC the home study is valid for 18 months, although most families I work with are seeking adoption nationwide, so when needed, the agency provide updates at 12 months to comply with other states updating requirements.
5. Approximately how much time is necessary to complete an adoption home study by your organization?
   We tell families that the agency will have the home study complete within four weeks of the second home visit. It is often sooner, but it is better to allow for extra time to make sure it is a timeframe that families can count on.
6. Can adoptive parents use a home study completed by your organization to adopt a child born in another state?
   Absolutely.
7. If you complete my home study, do you also have to complete my post-placement visits?
   No, but most families would use the same agency that completed their home study unless they were moving out of state. No family we have worked with has chosen to use a different agency for post services we are happy to say! We love the part of our job when we get to meet your baby!
8. How many post-placement visits does your organization require?
   NC guidelines require two visits; however, when working with other states, we follow whatever guidelines are required for the finalizing state.
9. What is some advice you can give to potential adoptive families about the home study process? What should they be prepared for?
   We provide a complimentary initial consultation to families to educating them about the home study and adoption process. Advice depends on where they are at in the process and what their concerns are. We do reassure families that we are not seeking perfect parents but real people who have a heart for parenting and can meet the needs of a child in a safe and nurturing environment. A universal piece of advice to families that helps them as they start the home study process is to keep visualizing the end goal of bringing their baby home and starting their lives together. That makes all the minutiae of the paperwork and all the work worth it.
10. What do your home study social workers look for in a home and a family when they visit potential adoptive families' homes?
    The common denominator for assessing families is that they possess the emotional capacity, maturity and stability to meet the needs of a child and provide a safe and nurturing home environment. There are clearly established guidelines in place by the state of NC that all agencies must follow in regards to the topics covered in a home study. These guidelines are outlined on our website.
11. Are you Hague accredited, and if not, does your international home study comply with Hague International Standards?
    No. However, we do enter into supervised provider agreements with international placing agencies and have experience meeting USCIS guidelines
12. Do you have experience in completing the home study and working with international placement companies?
    Yes, we have extensive experience working with international placing agencies.
13. Are there other services and benefits you would like to share about your company?
    We provide access to adoption-related resources and support families throughout the adoption process. One advantage of being a smaller agency is that families find myself, the agency owner and director, very accessible and engaged with families, answering questions and keeping the home study process moving efficiently.