When you’ve already successfully adopted and you’re ready to grow your family through another adoption, do you need a home study for a second adoption?
The short answer is yes, but.
A family that has been approved for adoption once in Arkansas does not need to go through the entire process again if they adopt another child within five years of their first adoption.
You can use the home study from your first adoption.
Adoption records are confidential
It is true that the records from your first adoption process are sealed and not open to the public. But here’s what Arkansas law says about access to the home study for a second adoption:
In the event that an adoptive family contacts the department and indicates a desire for the placement of a subsequent child and no more than five (5) years have lapsed since the adoption file has been sealed, the department is authorized to unseal the adoption file notwithstanding any section in this subchapter.
It shall be the responsibility of the administrator to remove the home study from the file and make a copy of the home study. The remainder of the file shall remain sealed. The administrator shall return the home study to the file, which shall then be resealed.
Using the first home study
Note that this is possible within five years of the first adoption. The clock starts ticking when the first file is closed. Say you had your first home study in 2020 and the first adoption was finalized in 2021. You would have until 2026 to re-use that home study in a subsequent adoption. After 2026, you would need a new home study.
It is not that you are an approved family and that approval is permanent. You must still have a home study for your second or third or fourth adoption. But you can use the first home study again if the second adoption takes place within five years.
Adoption law is complicated
There are lots of details and nuances and each state is different. Let Heimer Law help you navigate the