Wisconsin Administrative Code
Department of Children and Families
DCF 021-99 - Safety and Permanence
Chapter DCF 50 - Facilitating Public Adoptions And Adoption Assistance
Section DCF 50.07 - Adoption information exchange

Universal Citation: WI Admin Code ยง DCF 50.07

Current through August 26, 2024

(1) SERVICES. The department shall establish or contract with an entity with expertise in adoption issues to establish an adoption information exchange that includes all of the following services:

(a) An Internet-based photolisting of children who are legally free for public adoption and children who are at legal risk.

(b) A register of prospective adoptive parents that meets all of the following conditions:
1. The register includes only prospective adoptive parents whose home study was approved by an adoption agency and was submitted to the adoption information exchange by the approving adoption agency.

2. The department has reviewed the home study of any prospective adoptive parents whose home study was approved by an adoption agency other than the department and determined that including the prospective adoptive parents on the register is appropriate.

3. The adoption information exchange removes a registration if any of the following conditions are met:
a. The individual's or couple's adoption agency notifies the adoption information exchange that the individual or couple is no longer interested in adopting a child.

b. The individual or couple listed on the register is not responding to inquiries from the adoption information exchange.

(c) A matching service that attempts to match children listed in the adoption photolisting under par. (a) and the prospective adoptive parents registered with the adoption information exchange under par. (b) by providing information about registered prospective adoptive parents to public adoption agencies with photolisted children.

(d) A public relations campaign that promotes public adoptions, provides information to the public, and increases public awareness of adoption and services available from the adoption information exchange by developing and distributing informational materials for the media, professional organizations, community support agencies, and the public.

(2) PHOTOLISTING. All of the following conditions apply to the Internet-based photolisting under sub. (1) (a):

(a) Children who are legally free for public adoption. The adoption information exchange shall photolist all children who are legally free for public adoption and do not have proposed adoptive parents, except those not submitted to the adoption information exchange under par. (d).

(b) Children who are at legal risk. The adoption information exchange may photolist children who are at legal risk if any of the following applies:
1. The court has authorized photolisting.

2. Written consent has been given by all of the following:
a. The child's placing agency or adoption agency.

b. The child's parent or guardian.

3. A child age 14 or over has given written consent.

(c) Out-of-state.
1. The adoption information exchange may photolist a child with an out-of-state exchange and may use the resources of the out-of-state exchange for the child with written permission from the child's guardian and the child's placing agency and, if the child is age 14 or over, the child.

2. The child photolisted under subd. 1. may be a child who is legally free for public adoption or a child who is at legal risk.

(d) Deferral.
1. If a child is legally free for public adoption, a public adoption agency may defer submitting the information required for a photolisting of the child to the adoption information exchange if any of the following circumstances applies:
a. The child is in an adoptive placement pursuant to a written placement agreement.

b. The child's foster parent or another individual is considering adoption of the child.

c. The child is 14 years of age or older and does not consent to photolisting.

d. The child is under the guardianship of a tribal child welfare department.

2. A deferral is valid until the reason for the deferral no longer exists.

(e) Child information. A photolisting shall include a photo and information about a child relevant to matching the child to prospective adoptive parents.

(f) Updating. The adoption information exchange shall keep the photolisting current by doing all of the following:
1. Reviewing and updating a child's photograph and information every 6 months.

2. Updating information about a child as it is received from the child's placing agency.

3. Removing a child from the photolisting when the child no longer meets the requirements to be photolisted.

(g) Records. The adoption information exchange shall destroy all records relating to a child in a confidential manner within one year after the child's photolisting is withdrawn or the child is adopted.

Information for families interested in adoption, including the photolisting of Wisconsin children waiting for adoption, is at http://wiadopt.org.

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Wisconsin may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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