Your Homestudy


Your state of residence, our federal government (for the child to emigrate to the USA) and the foreign courts, all require that perspective adoptive families have an approved homestudy. The homestudy is a written assessment of your family and is the pivotal document that will represent you as qualified perspective adoptive parents.

In order for Angels’ Haven Outreach to properly assess your home for the placement of an adopted child, the State requires certain documents be verified and retained in your case file. Many of these same documents will be required by the Immigration and Naturalization Service for obtaining a visa for your child to enter the U.S. Additionally, the court system in your child’s birth country will also need a set of documents for completing the adoption overseas.

Although the list of documents required by each of the local, federal, and foreign authorities is separate, many of these documents may be the same. As stated above, Angels’ Haven must keep the documents in your file and cannot be returned. DOCUMENTS MUST BE ORIGINALS, PHOTOCOPIES ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE. The documents should also be current, not older than six months. We recommend obtaining additional copies of the certified documents for state, federal and foreign paperwork. This will save you time in the long run. Once we receive all the documents below, we will assign you a Social Worker, who will then contact you to schedule your interviews.

Usually this will mean speaking to each perspective parent individually, then as a couple. They will also need to see your home and interview any children, and/or other adults that may live in your home with you. The social worker will want to educate and assist in preparing you for the issues you should expect in regards to the child’s needs, as well as the process. All of this information is then compiled and typed into a report.

While each state has its own particular regulations, generally as part of the assessment process, AHO or your state home study agency will need the following documents. Angels’ Haven is licensed by the State of California to provide home studies in the Southern California counties (from Santa Barbara County to San Diego County). We are also licensed to provide home study services in the State of Vermont. If you are in either of these two states AHO will provide you with the forms needed below.

  • Adoption Service Agreement
  • Application
  • Waiver of Liability
  • Medical Examination Report Of Husband (if applicable)
  • Medical Examination Report Of Wife
  • Medical Examination Report Of child/children living in the home
  • Medical Examination Report Of any other person living in home
  • Verification Of Employment
  • Financial Statement
  • Proof Of Medical Insurance
  • Certified Birth certificates of prospective Parents
  • Certified Copy of Marriage certificate
  • Divorce Decrees if applicable
  • School reports of school age children living in the home
  • Tax returns (photo copies of first two pages)
  • Four Personal references in the form of letters
  • Fingerprint clearances