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Intercountry Adoption From Hague and Non-Hague Convention Countries: Accreditation of Adoption Providers (E.G., Agencies)

This information was taken directly from Child Welfare Information Gateway

Accreditation of Adoption Providers (e.g., agencies)

Both Types of Adoption

The Intercountry Adoption Universal Accreditation Act of 2012 (UAA) (P.L. 112-276) was signed into law on January 13, 2013, and goes into effect on July 13, 2014. Under the UAA, all agencies or persons providing any of the defined intercountry adoption services must (1) be accredited or approved to the standards set forth in the Convention, regardless of whether the case falls under the Convention or the orphan (non-Convention) process, (2) be supervised by an accredited or approved provider, or (3) be exempted from accreditation.

Adoption services include the following:

  • Identifying a child for adoption and arranging an adoption
  • Securing the necessary consent to termination of parental rights and to adoption
  • Performing a background study on a child or a home study on a prospective adoptive parent and reporting on such a study
  • Making nonjudicial determinations of the best interests of a child and the appropriateness of an adoptive placement for the child
  • Monitoring a case after a child has been placed with prospective adoptive parents until final adoption
  • Assuming custody and providing (including facilitating the provision of) child care or any other social service pending an alternative placement, when necessary because of a disruption before final adoption [22 CFR § 96.2] 1

To be approved or accredited, providers must meet eligibility requirements in nine areas, including ethical practices, information disclosure, and service planning. For the complete Federal regulations (22 CFR Part 96), see The Council on Accreditation (http://coanet.org/) is the Department of State-designated accrediting entity.

To find an accredited and approved service provider, visit http://adoption.state.gov/hague_convention/agency_accreditation/agency_search.php. For a list of agencies denied accreditation, visit http://adoption.state.gov/hague_convention/agency_accreditation/deniedagencies.php.

Note: In the Federal regulations for the Convention, nonprofit agencies are “accredited,” while individuals and for-profit agencies providing services are “approved.”

Each Convention country determines which accredited or approved service providers are permitted to perform adoption services in its country and may have their own accreditation requirements.


Continue to Intercountry Adoption From Hague and Non-Hague Convention Countries: Home Study

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Resource

Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2014). Intercountry adoption from hague convention and non-hague convention countries. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

References

Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2012). Finding and using postadoption services. Retrieved from www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_postadoption.cfm

Pinderhuges, E., Matthews, J., Deoudes, G., & Pertman, A. (2013). A changing world: Shaping best practices through understanding of the new realities of intercountry adoption. Retrieved from adoptioninstitute.org/publications/a-changing-world-shaping-best-practices-through-understanding-of-the-new-realities-of-intercountry-adoption/

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. (2014). Re-homing of adopted children: responsibilities for states and opportunities in the provision of postadoption services. (ACYF-CB-IM-14-02). Retrieved from www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/cb/im1402.pdf

U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs. (2013). Convention countries. Retrieved from adoption.state.gov/hague_convention/countries.php

Citations

1 For information on adoption disruption, refer to Information Gateway’s Adoption Disruption and Dissolution at www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/s_disrup.cfm

2 A third way to legally bring an adopted child to reside permanently in the United States is the immediate relative process. For more information, visit www.uscis.gov/adoption/immigration-through-adoption/other-adoption-related-immigration.