Voluntary Specialized Accreditation for Background and Home Studies Act

To modify the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 to provide a specialized accreditation option for performing a background study on a child or a home study on prospective adoptive parents, and reporting on such a study. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Voluntary Specialized Accreditation for Background and Home Studies Act 2. Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that— (1) prospective adoptive parents should receive high-quality services from experienced providers for their child background studies and home studies; (2) the number of accredited adoption service providers is declining in the United States, leading to fewer options of accredited service providers; (3) some foreign countries, primary providers and many adoptive families have a preference that only accredited adoption service providers conduct intercountry home studies and post adoption reporting; (4) accreditation and approval ensures compliance with standards and requires accrediting entities to provide oversight, enforcement, and data and report collection for accredited and approved adoption service providers; and (5) United States intercountry adoption practices can be enhanced by supporting an accreditation system that includes a new, limited accreditation option for the provision of a background study on a child or a home study on a prospective adoptive parent, in addition to current, comprehensive, mandatory accreditation for primary providers. 3. Amendments to the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 (a) Definitions Section 3 of the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 ( 42 U.S.C. 14902 (1) in paragraph (1), by inserting specialized accreditation adoption services (2) by redesignating paragraph (17) as paragraph (18); and (3) by inserting after paragraph (16) the following: (17) Specialized accreditation The term specialized accreditation (A) Performing a background study on a child in an outgoing case and reporting on such a study. (B) Performing a home study on a prospective adoptive parent in an incoming case and reporting on such a study. . (b) Accreditation and approval (1) In general Section 202(b)(1) of the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 ( 42 U.S.C. 14922(b)(1) (1) Accreditation and approval Accreditation of agencies, and approval of persons, to provide adoption services or other specialized services in the United States in cases subject to the Convention or Intercountry Adoption Universal Accreditation Act of 2012 ( Public Law 112–276 (A) an accredited agency or approved person; or (B) an agency with a limited home study or child background study. . (2) Exemption from paperwork reduction act Section 503(c) of the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 ( 42 U.S.C. 14953(c) 202(b)(1), 104, 4. Rules of construction (a) In general Nothing in this Act or the amendments made by this Act may be construed to require that intercountry adoption service providers have a specialized accreditation (as defined in section 3(17) of the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000, as amended by section 3(a)(3)), to provide a home study on prospective adoptive parents pursuing an intercountry adoption. (b) Definition of adoption service Nothing in this Act or in the amendments made by this Act may be construed to modify the definition of adoption service 42 U.S.C. 14902 5. Effective date This Act shall take effect on the date that is 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.

Summary: Voluntary Specialized Accreditation for Background and Home Studies Act This bill modifies intercountry adoption provisions to include voluntary accreditation relating to performing a background study on a child or performing a home study on a prospective adoptive parent.