I just got word that my home study was approved. YEAH!! I should be really happy. I was hoping to get a certificate of completion that I could hang on my fridge or show my family etc. All I got was an email with a few words. I was hoping to be able to move forward after waiting all this time but now I am I am stuck.
My friend suggested Adoption Star and said that she knew others who had used them. They looked great online and mentioned a sliding scale for fees. I was really hopeful that I would be able to transfer my home study and move on. I emailed them and got a response right away. That is when I froze. I though about it for a while and then had DH call today.
They do not accept home studies from other agencies. HMMM wish she had mentioned that in her email bc I mentioned wanting to transfer mine. This was a big slap in my face. I guess I just assumed that it was something that you got from the government like a driver's license. So it surprised me to learn that we would have to do the home study over and pay $1,675. Not only is this more but the first one just took me months to get. I don't know if I can go through that all over again. The other fees would be about the same, except they charge double the amount that Bethany is going to charge to maintain the home study every year.
I was so crushed. Now I am back to where I was. I don't like my SW, but I am not sure if I can handle switching agencies due to money or time. I looked up a few more online and DH is going to call them this week.
Bethany is a national agency but I am not sure if I would be able to work with a SW from another branch. I think there is only one branch in my state. I can't really call the home office to ask unless I am desperate bc my SW will find out that I don't like her.
First, congrats for making through that home study, even with all the set backs and the frustrating moments with your SW. I wish you could celebrate more now, but it seems you still have a few obstacles ahead of you. We were able to complete our homestudy with one agency and then transfer it over to another at no cost. I bet if you keep looking, you'll find an agency that will work with your current homestudy and won't charge you an arm and a leg to review it. Or perhaps you could look into working with an adoption consultant instead of an agency? I'll be praying for you!
ReplyDeleteLots of decisions to make...hmmmm...some agencies are real sticklers about transferring h.s more than others. Praying for you as you discern your next steps...and yes...congrats on getting that h.s done and approved!
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