Interstate AdoptionInterstate adoptions are affected by two agreements between the "sending" and "receiving" states:
The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC), and
The Interstate Compact on Adoption and Medical Assistance (ICAMA)..
Adoption professionals will generally prepare the necessary paperwork, but you should be aware of the Compacts, their provisions, and whether one or both apply, and check to make sure all requirements are being met.
The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children
ICPC is an agreement among all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands and is covered by legal statute in all states. The Compact applies to placements of minor children made from one state to another. It is designed to:
- Transition and monitor the child's placement;
- Ensure agency services when a child is moved from one state to another for adoption, foster care, residential treatment, relative, or institutional care;
- Ensure compliance with states' adoption laws;
- Provide that children are returned to their original jurisdiction should the placement prove not to be in their best interest or should the need for out-of-state services cease.
In adoption, the purpose of the ICPC is to make sure that:
- The adoption laws of the "sending" and "receiving" states' are observed;
- The movement of children across state lines meets all legal requirements;
- The children are protected at all times.
At the court finalization hearing, proof of compliance with the ICPC is required.