2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 15A - Adoption Act › Chapter 2 - Adoption of Minors › § 2-105. Disclosure of information on background

§ 2-105. Disclosure of information on background
(a) Before placing a minor for adoption, a parent or agency placing the minor shall provide in writing to the prospective adoptive parent all of the following nonidentifying information that is reasonably available from the parents, relatives, or guardian of the minor; the agency; any person who has had physical custody of the minor for 30 days or more; or any person who has provided health, psychological, educational, or similar services to the minor:
(1) a social and health history of the minor, including:
(A) date, time, and place of birth;
(B) first and middle name as given by the parent;
(C) current health history, including an account of the minor’s prenatal care, medical condition at birth, any drug or medication taken by the minor’s mother during pregnancy;
(D) any subsequent medical, psychological, psychiatric, and dental information and diagnosis, and a record of any immunizations and health care received while in foster or other care;
(E) any physical, sexual, or emotional abuse known to have been experienced by the minor;
(F) enrollment and performance in school, results of educational testing, and any special educational needs; and
(G) an account of the minor’s past and existing relationship with any relative, foster parent, or other person with whom the minor has lived or visited on a regular basis;
(2) a social and health history of the minor’s parents and extended family, including:
(A) health and genetic history, including any known hereditary condition or disease, the current health of each parent, a summary of the findings of any medical, psychological, or psychiatric evaluation of each parent completed prior to placement, history of use of drugs and alcohol, and if a parent is deceased, the cause of and the age at death;
(B) racial, ethnic, and religious background, and general physical description;
(C) the levels and types of educational, vocational, athletic, artistic, or scientific achievement or interests, including academic performance and diagnosed learning problems;
(D) the date of birth and sex of any other child of the parents and whether or not those children have been removed from the parent’s custody or placed for adoption;
(E) the facts and circumstances related to the consent or relinquishment or termination of parental rights; and
(F) any information necessary to determine the minor’s eligibility for State or federal benefits, including financial, medical, or other assistance.
(b) Before the final hearing on a petition for adoption, a person or agency who placed a minor for adoption shall provide to the prospective adoptive parent a supplemental written report containing any information listed in subsection (a) of this section which was unavailable before the minor was placed, but becomes reasonably available after the placement.
(c) The Department shall prescribe forms designed to obtain specific information about the minor and the minor’s family and shall provide these forms to any agency, attorney, or certified placement intermediary.
(d) A report furnished under this section shall indicate who prepared the report and, unless confidentiality has been waived, shall be edited by the person who prepared the report to exclude the identity of any person who furnished information or about whom information is reported.
(e) The adoptive parents shall file a copy of the report furnished under this section in the Probate Division of the Superior Court when the petition for adoption is filed. Upon finalization of an adoption, the Probate Division of the Superior Court shall file a copy of the report with the adoption registry. (Added 1995, No. 161 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 2009, No. 154 (Adj. Sess.), § 238a, eff. Feb. 1, 2011; 2013, No. 96 (Adj. Sess.), § 73.)