Home Studies and Related Services

CAS provides adoptive home study services for families adopting through other agencies or entities. Home study workers are experienced with all types of adoptive home studies, including domestic and international. CAS is accredited by the Council of Accreditation to provide both the study and pre-adoption training for compliance with the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption for signatory countries.

Home studies are completed in a timely and comprehensive manner and are e-mailed to you and your placing agency or placement entity in draft form prior to being finalized.

Adoptive Home Study – Independent Adoptions

These home studies are coordinated in conjunction with an adoption completed without the services of another agency or through an adoption facilitator or adoption attorney.

Adoption Home Study Updates or Addendums

CAS can update an adoptive home study completed either through our agency or through another agency or placement entity.

Expedited Adoptive Home Studies and Updates

For an additional fee, our agency can complete an adoptive home study or adoptive home study update within 30 days of receipt of all required documents.

Conversion of Home Study to Hague Standards

At times families adopting internationally decide to change their choice of countries from which they plan to adopt from a “Non-Hague Convention” country to a “Hague Convention” country. This necessitates revision of the adoptive home study to meet the requirements of the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption, such that the study can be submitted to USCIS for approval.

Relative and Stepparent Adoption

The adoption of a child by a member of his or her extended family or by a step-parent involves a special proceeding that is often referred to as a kinship or relative adoption.

Preparation of an Adoption Summary provides the court a summary of the case with verification that the child’s best interests and well-being will be served by his or her new legal parent.

Child Custody Home Study

The placement of a child within the home of a non-relative requires completion of a Placement Summary that provides the court a summary of the case with verification that the child’s best interests and well-being will be served in the home.

Post Placement Supervision and Reports

Once a child enters his or her adoptive family, CAS is available to provide appropriate supervision and support services necessary for finalization of the adoption in North Carolina or another state or to meet requirements of the placing country. Visits are held with the family either in the home or another setting at prescribed timeframes, followed by a written report that is provided to the family’s placing agency or other placement entity (or to the family).

Reports to the Court

CAS is available to provide this second phase of the finalization process that is required for all adoptions or re-adoptions in NC. A Report on Proposed Adoption must be completed by a licensed child placing agency in NC of your choice.

This Report provides the court with:

  • background information on the child, birth parents and adoptive parents
  • a narrative of the post placement supervision
  • and a recommendation as to whether the adoption should be finalized

A Report to Vital Records is also submitted at this time for the adoptee’s new birth certificate.

Other Specialized Services

CAS provides other services such as preparing custom reports or letters and other related services.

Fees

All services are provided in accordance with our Direct Services Fee Schedule, which will be provided to you prior to service delivery. As a non-profit agency, our fees are reasonable and comparable to other agencies in North Carolina. You may pay your direct service fees through check, money order, or online with a credit card.