Section He-C 6448.16 - Adoption Family Application(a) During the adoption family application process, the child-placing agency shall obtain: (1) A signed application as provided by the child-placing agency;(2) A signed medical statement from a licensed physician, physician's assistant, or nurse practitioner on each applicant based on an examination given within one year of the application;(3) A financial statement which includes:a. The monthly income available to the household from all sources including adoption subsidies for children with special needs;b. Monthly expenses such as rent or mortgage, food, clothing, utilities, insurance, loan and credit card payments; andc. Assets such as savings, investments, and real estate;(4) Information on the adoptive parent applicants' religious preferences, if any; and(5) A minimum of 5 personal references provided by persons who have known the applicants for at least 2 years, one of whom is a relative and the remaining 4 unrelated to the applicant by blood or marriage.(b) The child-placing agency shall provide the adoptive family applicant with an agency-specific adoptive family handbook informing them of policies, procedures, and forms, which are relevant to its specific agency.(c) A family assessment and application shall be completed as described in He-C 6446.04 -.13 for an adoptive applicant family which: (1) Includes at least 3 meetings with at least one meeting in the home;(2) Consists of individual and joint meetings, when applicable, with the couple;(3) Involves all adults and children of sufficient understanding in the household;(4) Shall be completed within 120 days of the date that the application and all required documents were received, unless the applicants agree in writing that the child-placing agency may extend the time allowed to complete the family assessment;(5) Provides written results to the applicant of the adoptive family assessment within 30 days after completing the family assessment; and(6) Includes consideration of the following factors to assess the adoptive parent applicant's compatibility with a child and any problems the adoptive parent applicants might encounter following the adoption: a. The adoptive parent applicants' motivation to adopt;b. If applicable, how the adoptive parent applicants have dealt with issues of their infertility;c. The adoptive parent applicants' expectations of the child and preferred child characteristics; andd. The adoptive parent applicants' feelings about adoption and how adoption will be explained to the child, including:1. Searches for birthparents or other relatives;2. Reunification with birthparents or other relatives; 3. Open adoption which is the private and non-legally binding agreement between birth parents that the adoptive child can remain in contact with the birth parents or other biological relatives;4. Attitude toward parents who place their child for adoption; and5. The background of the child.(d) The minimum requirements for acceptance of the adoptive parent applicants shall be as follows:(1) Each adoptive parent applicant shall be at least 18 years of age;(2) Each prospective adoptive parent shall confirm their commitment to adopt;(3) The adoptive parent applicant shall not have been convicted of child abuse or neglect or any other serious crime that would affect the ability to care for children;(4) The adoptive parent applicants and all household members shall be screened by the department, pursuant to RSA 170-B:18, VII, for any founded reports of child abuse or neglect on file with DCYF, and: a. If a founded report is on file for any member of the adoptive parent applicant's household, DCYF staff in cooperation with staff from the child-placing agency shall conduct a complete review of the circumstances surrounding the report; andb. After review, if DCYF determines that the household member poses no further threat to any child, the child-placing agency shall proceed with the application process;(5) Adoptive parent applicants, whether married or single, shall have established a stable and consistent home life in that the applicant shall be self-sufficient and shall have adequate support systems such as extended family and friends in the community who are able to assist the family;(6) The applicants shall demonstrate good physical and emotional health, with a reasonable expectation that the good health will continue throughout the minority of the child;(7) Sufficient physical space and accommodations in the home shall exist for the adoptive child; and(8) The applicants shall have sufficient income to support the family and the child they wish to adopt.(e) Approved adoptive families who have waited a year for a placement shall have an annual home visit and family assessment update which includes: (1) Any changes to the original family assessment;(2) An update of the household members medical health;(3) Updated criminal checks for all household members; and(4) Updated child protective services checks for child abuse or neglect.(f) Adoptive parents must wait at least 6 months after the placement of a child for adoption, and until the adoption is final before submitting an application for an additional unrelated child or children. The requirements in (a) -(d) above shall apply to applications and family assessment for additional children.(g) A child-placing agency shall approve a home as an adoptive home if the completed application and assessment demonstrate that the adoptive applicant can provide care in compliance with the requirements of RSA 170-B:18.N.H. Admin. Code § He-C 6448.16
#7866, eff 4-2-03; ss by #9895, eff 4-2-11
Amended by Volume XXXIX Number 19, Filed May 9, 2019, Proposed by #12767, Effective 5/2/2019, Expires 10/29/2019.Amended by Volume XXXIX Number 46, Filed November 14, 2019, Proposed by #12911, Effective 10/24/2019, Expires 10/24/2029