When you decide to host, you will not have to have a full home study which is required for adoption. You will, however, have to complete a Host Home Safety Review. This is similar to a home study but is more abbreviated and not quite as comprehensive. It is important to have a Safety Review completed so we can assure the Ukrainian officials that the homes where their children will be residing are safe, secure, welcoming and nurturing environments.
The MLJ Adoptions Social Services staff will contact you to schedule your Host Home Safety Review. Prior to the home visit, our staff will need to obtain several documents from you such as basic family information, Driver’s Licenses or Birth Certificates, health examinations, releases for child abuse and sex offender checks, and local police criminal history checks. Don’t worry! We will provide you with instructions to complete state police criminal history checks for all household members age 18 or older, and will be available to answer any of your questions.
Once we have received the paperwork portion of your Host Home Safety Review, a social worker will come to your home to not only meet with you and your family, but will also tour your home to assure it is safe for the host children and will discuss with you your motivation for hosting. Other topics that will be discussed will include but are not limited to: family history; discipline used in the home; your expectations of the child; behaviors associated with institutionalized children; experience with hosting; adoption or fostering in the past; your home and community; and planned activities during hosting. This discussion is to help you and your family obtain clear expectations and enable our staff to be aware of the opportunities you will be offering to your host child.
If you live outside of Indiana and are participating in our Ukraine Hosting Program
this winter, we can work with you to complete the requirements for the Host Home Safety Review.
The Home Safety Review is designed to be a friendly, helpful and informative process. We hope that in helping you set realistic expectations, the hosting experience can be beneficial to both the hosting family and the host child. Our goal is to make you feel comfortable about your upcoming hosting experience and assure that the child coming to your home feels welcomed and safe in his or her new temporary environment.
For more information on our Winter Ukraine Hosting program, please contact Lydia.
Karlene Edgemon, MS, LSW
Karlene Edgemon works as MLJ Adoptions’ Director of Social Services. Throughout her 25 year social services career, Karlene has been able to watch adoption transform the lives of children and she is always brainstorming new ways to support adoptive families before, during and after their adoption.
Karlene Edgemon, MS, LSW
Karlene Edgemon works as MLJ Adoptions’ Director of Social Services. Throughout her 25 year social services career, Karlene has been able to watch adoption transform the lives of children and she is always brainstorming new ways to support adoptive families before, during and after their adoption.