North Dakota Administrative Code › Title 75 - Department of Human Services › Article 75-03 - Community Services › Chapter 75-03-36 - Licensing of Child-Placing Agencies › Section 75-03-36-31 - Adoption - Services to prospective adoptive parents

Current through Supplement No. 393, July, 2024
1. A child-placing agency serving minority
				race children shall have a recruitment plan that actively recruits homes of the
				same race as the adoptive children to preserve the adoptive child's
				culture.
2. The child-placing
				agency shall provide information to a prospective adoptive parent about the
				adoption process, the child-placing agency's policies and practices, legal
				procedures, and the approximate time the adoption process will take, adoptive
				standards, children available, the availability of a subsidy if appropriate,
				and a payment schedule which clarifies provision of services, dates of payment,
				and an estimate of final costs.
3.
				The child-placing agency shall provide education to a prospective adoptive
				parent to ensure they have a well-rounded understanding regarding trauma, the
				needs of an adoptive child, and the importance of maintaining biological and
				cultural connections.
4. The
				child-placing agency shall require the prospective adoptive parent of a
				foreign-born child to purchase a surety bond, or have five thousand dollars in
				savings, to provide financial protection for a possible disruption, or
				unexpected medical costs prior to finalization unless the adoptive parent is
				provided a copy of the decree of adoption from the foreign court at the time of
				finalization in the foreign country.
5. The child-placing agency shall document a
				summary of the information and maintain on file the adoption assessment. An
				adoption assessment must be completed in the form and manner prescribed by the
				department which must include onsite visits of the prospective adoptive
				parent's home to assess physical safety, personal beliefs, motivation and
				commitment to adopt, relationship status, support systems, financial stability,
				substance use, mental and behavioral health stability, plans to support the
				child's long-term needs, cultural and biological family connections, plan for
				care of the child in the event of death and any supplemental information
				determined necessary and collected throughout the assessment process.
6. During the course of the
				assessment, the child-placing agency shall keep the applicant informed of the
				applicant's status. When an applicant is denied a recommendation for adoption,
				the child-placing agency shall inform the applicant, in writing, of the reasons
				the child cannot be placed in the applicant's home. The child-placing agency
				shall offer services to the applicant as needed.
7. The child-placing agency shall require an
				adoptive family assessment be updated at least every two years from the date of
				completion of the original assessment until a child is placed into the home for
				the purpose of adoption.
8. The
				child-placing agency shall have regular contact with an approved waiting
				adoptive family to assess their circumstances and ability to adopt a child for
				adoptive placement.
9. The
				child-placing agency shall develop policy and procedure to allow applicants to
				grieve the services provided by the child-placing agency or to grieve the
				child-placing agency's decision regarding adoption assessment denial.
General Authority:
NDCC 50-12-05
Law Implemented:
NDCC 50-12-07,
					 50-12-08