Full Circle Adoptions FAQ

1. Approximately how much time is necessary to complete an adoption home study by your organization?
   The minimum length of time is 30 days from the beginning of the assessment. The actual state regulation (102 CMR 5.10 (5) states: “No assessment can be considered complete unless all of the requirements of 102 CMR 5. 10 (5) have been met, and for adoption approval, until 30 days have elapsed since the beginning of the assessment.”
2. Can adoptive parents use a home study completed by your organization to adopt a child born in another state?
   Yes, Full Circle Adoptions home studies have been used in many states; our agency specializes in domestic interstate adoption and our home studies have always been accepted. Whether a home study is deemed sufficient for another state, however, this will ultimately be determined by the jurisdiction and professionals where placement is occurring.
3. If you complete my home study, do you also have to complete my post-placement visits?
   There’s no rule that requires that the same agency complete post placement supervision, but generally speaking this is the custom. While most post-placement periods proceed smoothly, at times there are important issues that arise with which the agency social worker can provide expert assistance. One could have Agency A complete the home study and Agency B complete the post-placement supervision. But generally, regardless of who completes this work, post placement visits are believed to serve an important child welfare purpose.
4. Are you Hague accredited, and if not, does your international home study comply with Hague International Standards?
   Full Circle Adoptions is Hague accredited, and our home studies comply with Hague International Standards.
5. Do you have experience in completing the home study and working with international placement companies?
   Yes (we’ve worked with agencies who have had placement programs in Ethiopia, China, Kazakhstan, Guatemala, Peru, etc. Full Circle Adoptions is accredited for both incoming and outgoing international adoption. This means that we can provide adoption home studies and post-placement supervision for U.S. families adopting children from abroad. We provide matching/placement for families from other countries who have approved home studies from their country of origin. For each adoption path, every family has a support social worker whom they can discuss their questions and concerns with. We are the only infant placing program based west of Worcester, Massachusetts, and so we aim to be full service for families in Massachusetts.
6. Are there other services and benefits you would like to share about your company?
   Our agency’s director, who founded the agency, is both an attorney and clinical social worker. Our case manager, who has been with the agency for 10 years, is a law school graduate and is a licensed social worker as well. Also, clients will often ask if there is a waiting list to start a home study. We have home study social workers in the eastern and western parts of the state. Full Circle Adoptions serves the entire state, and there is no waiting time to begin a home study. Families submit paperwork to support their adoption home study in two stages, some before the home study begins and some just before it’s completed. We aim to be prompt, responsive, informative and efficient.