Home Study Requirements for Prospective Parents in Domestic Adoption - Guam

Who Must Be Studied

Citation: Admin. Rules Tit. 26, § 1312

The applicant and all members of the applicant's family will be included in the study.

Agency or Person Conducting the Study

Citation: Admin. Rules Tit. 26, § 1312

The department or agency shall conduct the home study.

Qualifications for Adoptive Parents

Citation: Admin. Rules Tit. 26, § 1307

Any individual may apply to be an adoptive parent. There shall be no discrimination against applicants because of ethnicity, sex, marital status, or lifestyle. However, applicants must be at least age 18 and 10 years older than the prospective adoptive child.

Elements of a Home Study

Citation: Admin. Rules Tit. 26, § 1312

The applicants must submit the following documents, where applicable:

• Copies of birth certificates, marriage certificates, and divorce decrees
• Employment verification
• A financial statement, including income, savings, assets, expenses, and insurance
• The results of physical examinations
• References from two nonrelatives
• Police clearance from the place of current or previous residence

The study shall include the following:

• Background of the applicant, including education, childhood history, and family relationships
• Motivation for adoption
• Condition and suitability of the applicant's home
• Religious affiliation, if any

Grounds for Withholding Approval

This issue is not addressed in the statutes and regulations reviewed.

When Studies Must Be Completed

Citation: Ann. Code Tit. 19, § 4210; Admin. Rules Tit. 26, §§ 1307, 1312

Upon the filing of an adoption petition, the court shall direct that a social study be made by the department.

In regulation: Once applications are submitted, no further contact is made unless, upon review of the application, clarification is needed regarding points on the application or if the applicant is considered one of the three applicants preselected for a prospective adoptive child. A preadoption home study will then be conducted on these applicants.

When the court orders a social study, the department will request the court to have a 45-day period to submit completed home studies unless specified in the court order. Extensions may be requested by the department if necessary.

Postplacement Study Requirements

Citation: Admin. Rules Tit. 26, § 1311

After the child is placed in an adoptive home, there shall be a supervisory period of up to 1 year prior to the consummation of the adoption during which time the department shall give supportive assistance to the adoptive parents in adjusting to the child and integrating the child into the family. It will consist of scheduled visits, at least quarterly, in which the worker will monitor the child's and family's adjustment to each other.

Exceptions for Stepparent or Relative Adoptions

This issue is not addressed in the statutes and regulations reviewed.

Requirements for Interjurisdictional Placements

This issue is not addressed in the statutes and regulations reviewed.

Foster to Adopt Placements

Citation: Admin. Rules Tit. 26 § 1310

Adoption of a child in foster care by the foster parents will be considered by the agency under the following conditions:

• The Adoption Selection Committee determines this is in the best interests of the child.
• The child has lived in the foster home for at least 1 year and has developed ties with the family, or the child is 'hard to place' because of age, racial background, physical or mental handicap, questionable health or social background, etc. and the foster parents are willing to adopt the child, having prior knowledge of these factors.

The foster home shall then be reevaluated in terms of adoption. The evaluation shall include the following:

• The foster parents' feelings about adopting a child whose whereabouts are known to the natural parents
• Their capacity to give security to the child under those circumstances

Links to Resources

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