Intercountry adoption Home Study report

Upcoming changes for this guidance

This content will be strengthened so it more completely reflects our commitment to practice framed by te Tiriti o Waitangi, based on a mana-enhancing paradigm for practice, and drawing from ​Te Ao Māori principles of oranga to support mana tamaiti, whakapapa and whanaungatanga. We each need to consider how we can apply these principles to our practice when reading this guidance. The following resources provide support:
Practice for working effectively with Māori
Our practice approach

Purpose of the report

The intercountry adoption Home Study assessment report should:

• demonstrate to the New Zealand Central Authority (NZCA) and to the Central Authority of the country of te tamaiti that applicants are eligible and suited to adopt a tamaiti from a particular country
• enable officials in another country to assess and match a particular tamaiti with certain attributes to a described whānau or family to best meet the needs of te tamaiti.

What’s in the report

To inform the Home Study report, we analyse how the applicants will meet the needs of te tamaiti adopted from another country.

The Home Study report template helps us provide the required information about the applicants, including their:

• family history and situation
• health
• lifestyle
• education
• employment
• financial status
• personal attributes
• cultural competence
• parenting plans.

We end the report with a summary and our recommendation that is backed up with social work evidence and our opinion.

When writing the report, we should keep in mind that overseas officials may have little or no knowledge of conditions and lifestyles in New Zealand, and English may be their second language. We should use language that is factual, unambiguous and free from jargon. If the translator misinterprets our meaning, the translated report could read significantly differently from the original document.

We need to identify the sources of our information and comments and refer to any supporting documentation, such as medical reports or references.

Intercountry adoption Home Study report template (DOCX 83 KB)

Completing the report

We send the final draft report to our supervisor to review. When the supervisor is satisfied with the report content and format, they email it to the NZCA for review and approval. Before the report is finalised, we email a copy of the final draft to the applicants to check the accuracy of factual information and details such as names, dates of birth, and so on.

We may need to have ongoing discussions with the NZCA before the Home Study report is approved. Once they’re satisfied, they will formally endorse it by creating an Article 15 Certificate confirming the applicants’ eligibility and suitability to adopt from a specific country. We can then tell the applicants their Home Study report is completed, and their application can progress to the overseas Central Authority.

Approving intercountry adoptive applicants