Iowa Adoption Services

PROVIDING ADOPTION SERVICES TO FAMILIES IN THE STATE OF IOWA

America World Adoption - Iowa is licensed and Hague accredited to provide adoption study services for Iowa families. Although our primary role is to provide home study services for families adopting through America World's international programs, we are also able to prepare Iowa adoption services for families using other placement agencies and who meet America World's agency requirements. Our office is located in Indianola, IA but we are able to provide services to families living throughout the state.

Iowa Adoption Home Study Services

The Iowa home study is a major part of the adoption process designed to help you, America World, the US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS), and the foreign government assesses your ability to provide a loving home for an orphan. A home study is an assessment process that provides a written report that is a comprehensive picture of your background, current family life and how this new child will be integrated into your family. It is designed to be a non-judgmental, educational and fruitful process. Some of the topics discussed during the home study process are motivation for adoption, expectations regarding adoption: short-term and long-term, attitude towards biological parents, type of child desired: age, sex, medical or emotional concerns, and attitudes of extended family and non-resident siblings. Your home study coordinator will also explore your values related to parenting, marriage, finances, spiritual beliefs, and child-care plans. These discussions will all take place during four face-to-face visits, one of which must be in your home. For residents in the Sstate of Iowa, state and federal criminal record checks, child abuse registry checks and references will be obtained. You will need to provide a copy of your birth certificate, marriage license, a copy of your most recent tax return, letters of employment verification, and medical statements for all members of the family. All of these items will be collected and reported in the home study.

Iowa Post-Adoption Services

America World Adoption - Iowa also provides post-adoption services for your adoption. Post-adoption visits are vital to helping an adoptive family adjust and transition to a new family unit. We will visit your family in your home to assess your transition and write a post-adoption report. Each country and even some states have their own post-adoption requirements. Iowa requires three post-adoption visits within the first year and the first visit must be within 60 days of returning home. This is in addition to whatever the country requires for post-adoption visits. Your social worker will ensure that all state, agency, and country requirements are met in your post-adoptive reports. In addition to post-adoption visits and reports, we will be available to offer support and referrals for special services, education and/or training.

A Note from the Iowa Director of Social Services, Angie Reed

Hello from Iowa! My name is Angie Reed and I am excited to serve you as you grow your family through adoption. I received my Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from the University of Northern Iowa in 2001. Since that time I have gathered over 13 years of experience in serving families through Child Welfare services and 2 of those years serving families through adoption services as a Certified Adoption Investigator. I enjoy spending time with my family and all the activities my growing boys participate in.

How to Begin

If you are adopting through America World, you will begin by completing an application online. Once your application has been approved and we have received your program agreements, we will contact you to initiate the home study. If you are not using America World as your placing agency but would like to use our local social services in Iowa, you may fill out the application online and choose "Social Services Only" under Application Type. The application fee for a social service only case is reduced to $295. Once the application is processed, our office will contact you and will work directly with you and your placement agency to ensure all requirements are met in your home study and post-adoption reports. If you have any questions, please contact Angie Reed.