Alabama Administrative Code › Title 660 - ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES › Chapter 660-5-22 - ADOPTION › Section 660-5-22-.04 - Adoption Legal Process

Current through Register Vol. 42, No. 9, June 28, 2024
(1)
			 Pre-Placement Investigations.
(a) A child may
			 not be placed in a prospective adoptive home, either independently or by an
			 agency, prior to completion of a pre-placement investigation of the petitioners
			 and their home, except for good cause shown to the court on the court's record
			 and with immediate notice by the petitioners to the court and the County
			 Department of Human Resources.
(b)
			 The pre-placement investigation must have been completed within twenty-four
			 months of the placement of the child.
(c) The investigation must be conducted by
			 one of the following:
1. The Department of
			 Human Resources;
2. A licensed
			 child-placing agency;
3. An
			 individual or agency licensed by the Department to perform investigations;
			 or
4. A social worker appointed by
			 the court who is licensed by the Alabama Board of Social Work Examiners and
			 certified by the Board for private independent practice in the social casework
			 speciality.
(d) In the
			 case of persons applying to the Department to become an adoptive resource for a
			 child in the Department's custody, the completion of the adoption home study
			 will meet the requirement for the pre-placement investigation.
(e) When a specific child has been
			 identified, all criteria for the pre-placement investigation as listed in (f)
			 below must be included in the investigation and report. When a specific child
			 has not been identified for placement at the time of the pre-placement
			 investigation, the information pertaining to the child and birth family must be
			 included in the post-placement investigation and report to the court.
(f) Information which must be obtained in the
			 investigation and included in the report to the court includes the following:
1. The suitability of each petitioner and his
			 or her home for adoption;
2. Why
			 the natural parents, if living, desire to be relieved of the care, support, and
			 guardianship of the child;
3.
			 Whether or not the natural parents have abandoned the child or are otherwise
			 unsuited to have custody of the child;
4. Any orders, judgements or decrees
			 affecting the adoptee or any children of the petitioners;
5. Any property owned by the
			 adoptee;
6. The medical histories,
			 physical and mental, of the adoptee and his or her biological
			 parents;
7. Criminal background
			 investigations of the petitioners;
8. All costs and expenses related to the
			 adoption; and
9. Any other
			 circumstances which may be relevant to the placement of the adoptee with the
			 petitioners.
(g) All
			 current and previous marriages, divorces and deaths of the petitioners and
			 their current or former spouses must be verified and current reports of medical
			 examinations must be completed by the petitioners and other residents of the
			 household (must have been completed within two years of date of
			 application).
(h) Medical histories
			 of the adoptee and his or her biological parents must be given to the
			 petitioners prior to finalization of the adoption and the case record must
			 document that this information was provided to the petitioners or their
			 attorney.