Section 1-6 - Placement of Child(ren) in Department Custody (a) If the relatives and/or foster family are not an appropriate adoptive placement, the following process shall be followed in order to identify an adoptive family for the child(ren): - (i) The Department field office shall prepare a profile of the child(ren) with non-identifying information to be sent to the Department state office.
- (ii) The Department state office shall forward the home studies to the field office having legal custody of the child(ren) available for adoption. The District Manager and/or his/her designee shall select an adoptive home from the studies submitted.
- (iii) If none of the adoptive home studies submitted are accepted, the Department field office shall obtain additional adoptive home studies from the Department state office.
- (iv) Department field offices should not contact agencies directly for the purpose of obtaining an adoptive home study. All requests for adoptive home studies shall be made through the Department state office.
(b) In the evaluation of the adoptive home, the Department District Manager and/or his/her designee shall consider, at a minimum, the following; - (i) The prospective adoptive parent's ability to meet the needs of the child(ren);
- (ii) The prospective adoptive parent(s) personalities, attitude, preferences as to the child(ren)'s age, sex, race, nationality and number of child(ren) already in the family;
- (iii) The prospective adoptive parent's religious affiliation only if a certain religious preference is indicated by the biological parent when participating in the selection of an adoptive home;
- (iv) The location of the child(ren)'s biological family and relatives to assure confidentiality; and
- (v) The needs and the best interests of the child(ren) are to be paramount.
(c) The Department may contract with private child placement agencies and/or adoption agencies for the provision of services to include: - (i) Pre- and post adoption placement counseling of special needs child(ren) and their prospective adoptive families; and
- (ii) Supervision of adoption placement of special needs child(ren) in adoptive homes.