- Q: What is the cost?
A: The fee for a Snowflakes Family Evaluation (SFE) is $1,500 plus the social worker’s travel expenses. These travel expenses could range anywhere from just a few dollars for families who live near one of our offices to several hundred dollars for families who live outside the U.S. The average is $300.
- Q: What is the timeline for the completion of the report?
A: The amount of time it takes to complete the SFE is mostly controlled by the adoptive family and their speed in gathering and completing the necessary paperwork. It is possible to complete the report in 1-2 months, though for most families it’s 3-4 months.
- Q: How many face-to-face visits with a social worker are required?
A: Because long-distance travel is often involved, generally only one face-to-face visit in the home is required, which can often help speed up the overall timeline of your adoption process.
- Q: How much paperwork is involved?
A: Because Snowflakes uses an adoption model, the required paperwork is similar to what is used in a home study. However, it is often a smaller amount than what’s required for a home study and the requirements are more flexible since we aren’t having to follow the regulations of any government entity.
- Q: Are there other “hidden” fees involved?
A: All of the SFE parent education is in the form of webinars and pdf articles, which are provided to you free of charge. We do require current infant/pediatric CPR and first aid certification, so you may incur a fee for this. Background checks (criminal and child abuse) are required for any home study and are required as part of the SFE process as well. FBI background checks cost $18-$50 per person. Child abuse and neglect background checks are provided free of charge in many states, while other states charge fees of up to $20 per person. For married clients, we also utilize an online assessment that has a fee of $35 per couple.
- Q: Are post-placement visits required?
A: Snowflakes requires one post-birth visit, via video conference, within 6 weeks of the child (or children’s) birth. The cost of this visit and report is included in the $1,500 SFE fee.
written by Beth Button