1636. INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION PLACEMENTS

1636 INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION PLACEMENTS 1636.1 The child-placing agency shall give each applicant a written statement which shall include the following: (a) A statement of the agency’s purpose, philosophy, and policies; (b) The agency’s eligibility criteria; (c) The availability of children; (d) Agency procedures and responsibilities; (e) Timing; (f) Fees for services; (g) Refund policies and procedures; and (h) Services termination policies and procedures. 1636.2 The child-placing agency shall ensure that each applicant applies for services in writing on an application form furnished by the agency. 1636.3 Each applicant shall sign a statement acknowledging that he or she received a copy of the agency’s policies as required in §1636.1. This statement shall be kept in the applicant’s records. 1636.4 The child-placing agency shall secure written consent to obtain the information needed to complete the home study process from each applicant. 1636.5 Each child-placing agency shall provide home study services to families who are residents of the District of Columbia and adjacent jurisdictions under a reciprocity agreement. Home study services shall include the following: (a) Information on the how to comply with the United States Immigration and Naturalization’s requirements for international adoptions; (b) Consultations with the family to acquaint them with the current international adoption situation, exploration of the adoptive parents’ feelings about adopting a child of a different race or national origin, and the adoptive parents’ capacity to accept limited medical and social background information about the child and the implications thereof; and (c) Documentation of the home study process in a written report. SOURCE: Final Rulemaking published at 37 DCR 3033, 3060 (May 11, 1990).