The Home Study: Paperwork And Documentation

Your home study will consist of a large amount of paperwork and required documents.  The amount of paperwork that a home study requires can be overwhelming for prospective adoptive parents.  Just remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day, it was built one brick at a time.  The same goes for your home study paperwork, just take it one piece of information at a time and before you know it you’ll be ready to move onto the next phase of the adoption journey.

Here is a list of documents you will need to supply:

• Proof of income and assets,


• A list of household expenses,


• Marriage licenses,


• Divorce decrees,


• Birth certificates,


• Adoption decrees,


• Background checks,


• Health assessments on each member of your household,


• Training certificate- many states require a pre-adoption training course,


• Letters of reference

Please be aware that this is not an all inclusive list, the worker assigned to conduct your home study may require additional documentation based on your own background, family situation, or agency/ state requirements.