New Hampshire Code of Administrative Rules
He - Department of Health and Human Services
Subtitle He-C - Commissioner, Department of Health and Human Services
Chapter He-C 6400 - PROGRAM AND SERVICE INFORMATION
Part He-C 6448 - CHILD-PLACING AGENCY LICENSING REQUIREMENTS
Section He-C 6448.18 - Services to Pre-Adoptive Parents and Children to be Adopted

Universal Citation: NH Admin Rules He-C 6448.18

Current through Register No. 40, October 3, 2024

(a) Child-placing agency providing adoption services shall not accept a child for care with adoption as the permanent plan unless the child-placing agency:

(1) Has first confirmed with the birth parent(s) that acceptance of the child for care is desired by both of them, and that it is in the child's best interests;

(2) Has a reasonable expectation that the child can be legally surrendered and released for adoption;

(3) Has sufficient casework services to assist the parents surrendering the child in a decision regarding the future of the child, including full exploration of the alternatives available to all individuals; and

(4) Establishes a clear understanding between the child- placing agency and the prospective adoptive parent of the temporary nature of the placement.

(b) The child-placing agency shall consider the following factors to ensure appropriate adoptive placements in which the adoptive parents are best able to meet the needs of the child:

(1) The developmental and medical history of the child;

(2) The mental and physical health history of the biological family;

(3) The child's religious practices;

(4) Psychological, social, and cultural factors regarding the child and the family;

(5) The legal custodial status of the child;

(6) The ability of the child to accept adoption; and

(7) Inter-relationships among the child, the biological family, and the adoptive family.

(c) The child-placing agency shall approve an adoptive family applicant if the completed application demonstrates that the applicant can provide care in compliance with the requirements of RSA 170-B and He-C 6448.

(d) The child-placing agency caseworker may perform announced or unannounced home visits with the adoptive family in the adoptive home.

(e) The following shall be required in preparation of the child for adoptive placement:

(1) Except in accordance with (2) below, a child shall not be placed for adoption until all legal impediments have been removed;

(2) A child may be placed in a legal risk adoption home that has been approved for pre-adoptive placement when the child's permanent plan is adoption but the child has not been surrendered for adoption or has not been the subject of a completed petition;

(3) The child-placing agency shall formally advise pre-adoptive parents in writing of the nature and extent of any legal or medical risks;

(4) A child shall not be placed in an adoptive home until the home has been approved by a licensed child-placing agency or the department;

(5) All interstate placements shall be done in compliance with RSA 170-A;

(6) The child-placing agency's caseworker shall:

a. Review all available information about the child and family prior to placement;

b. Ensure that the placement is accomplished with a minimum of trauma to the child;

c. Help the child understand the reasons for placement and prepare the child for the new environment as determined by the developmental stage of the child;

d. Conduct pre-placement visits prior placing the child to the pre-adoptive home, except for infants or when placing under emergency conditions to ensure the needs of the child and family are met;

e. Arrange for a physical examination performed by a physician, physician's assistant, or nurse practitioner for each child in care at the time of placement or within 30 days of placement, unless there is written documentation of a physical examination within the 12 months preceding placement; and

f. Obtain and record, or update an existing, developmental history for each child in care; and

(7) The child-placing agency that has custody of the child or to whom a child is surrendered and released shall be responsible for carrying out the provisions of this section.

(f) Following placement of the child, the caseworker shall:

(1) Contact the adoptive family, by phone or in person, within 3 weeks of placement;

(2) Meet in person with the adoptive family and the child(ren) one month after placement and at least once every 2 months thereafter until the adoption is finalized or until at least 3 visits have been completed;

(3) Conduct at least 2 of the home visits required in (2) above in the home of the adoptive family;

(4) Submit post placement supervisory reports to the DCYF ICPC office for all interstate adoption placements as required in He-C 6448.10(e) (3) ; and

(5) For foreign adoptions:

a. Meet in person with the adoptive family and the child(ren) within one month of the placement;

b. Complete at least 3 post placement visits in total; and

c. Make additional visits with the family and the child(ren) if required by the foreign country or the child placing agency responsible for the child.

#7866, eff 4-2-03; ss by #9895, eff 4-2-11

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