Resources

• Report to Congress on Interjurisdictional Adoption of Children in Foster Care
  This report from the Department of Health and Human Services responds to a requirement of the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act (PL 108-36) of 2003 that asked DHHS to describe the nature, scope, and impact of interjurisdictional adoption placement efforts and the strategies that improve outcomes for children in foster care who are placed for adoption in other jurisdictions. It contains findings from the 2005 survey of all States and territories to identify promising practices and possible strategies to overcome barriers to interjurisdictional placements. Other sections of the report provide background information on the practice of interjurisdictional placement, and address federal legislation, interstate compacts, and DHHS strategies to support interjurisdictional adoption. Appendices include a summary of strategies and potential supports identified in the 2005 national survey and findings from the first round of Child and Family Services Reviews.

• State by State Resources to Facilitate the Interjurisdictional Placement Process
  A chart detailing State-specific resources and requirements related to interjurisdictional placements can be found on the AdoptUsKids T/TA website. This chart contains information on the following State requirements: criminal background checks, coverage of medical and educational expenses as a sending and as a receiving State, a list of Purchase of Service (POS) agencies with active contracts and POS requirements within the State, home study requirements, and post-placement standards for supervision. This information is now posted for many States

• Interjurisdictional Placement of Children in the Child Welfare System: Improving the Process
  This report from the Children's Bureau presents findings from a Web-based survey of the State child welfare directors in 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The survey was designed to move beyond focusing on barriers to identifying possible solutions. States were asked to identify and assess strategies that State child welfare agencies have developed to facilitate interjurisdictional placement. This report provides an analysis of the strategies.

• P.L. 109-239: Safe and Timely Interstate Placement of Foster Children Act of 2006
  This legislation, signed into law on July 3, 2006, amends Titles IV-B and IV-E of the Social Security Act, encourages states to improve protections for children and holds them accountable for the safe and timely placement of children across State lines.

• Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children
  The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) is statutory law in all 52 member jurisdictions and a binding contract between member jurisdictions. The ICPC establishes uniform legal and administrative procedures governing the interstate placement of children. It is premised on the belief that children requiring out-of-state placement will receive the same protections and services that would be provided if they remained in their home states.

Websites

• Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children
  This portion of the American Public Human Services Association website provides information on the new Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children (ICPC). Answers to frequently asked questions about private and independent adoption under the ICPC are provided, as well as proposed legislative language for the new ICPC. Additional information is provided on: the fiscal impact of the new ICPC; the history of the ICPC; answers to frequently asked questions about the proposed ICPC; the need for the ICPC; data on the out-of-State placement of children; ICPC State statute citations; the differences between uniform laws and interstate compacts; the intersection of interstate compacts and State law; a policy resolution on the ICPC by the American Public Human Services Association; the ICPC drafting team; and legislative materials for the new ICPC.

• Association of Administrators of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (AAICPC)
  AAICPC was established in 1974 and consists of members from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The AAICPC has authority under ICPC to “promulgate rules and regulations to carry out more effectively the terms and provisions of this compact.” The AAICPC obtains its Secretariat Services, as an affiliate of the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA).

• Interjurisdictional Placements
  This section of the Child Welfare Information Gateway contains resources on interjurisdictional placements.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
Last updated 05/02/08