You wanted to know the process and timeframes for placements under the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC).

SUMMARY

The ICPC governs placement of children into and out of Connecticut for adoption, foster care, and residence with relatives after court action. Its purpose is to facilitate home studies in the receiving state before placement and supervision after placement. An Interstate Compact Office (ICO) in the Department of Children and Families (DCF) is the state's designated compact administrator.

A separate process governs placements into and from Connecticut. Each involves compiling information about the child, evaluating the home or facility in which the child is to be placed, and arranging for the child's supervision in the receiving state.

Placements typically involve several steps depending on the specific case. The timeframes for these steps depend on which state's law applies to the specific situation. A Connecticut couple adopting an out-of-state child, for example, must be licensed under Connecticut law while the rights of the child's parents must be terminated under the laws of the state where they live. The only timeline imposed on either process by DCF compact implementation policy is a 30-day deadline for Connecticut to evaluate homes in which out-of-state children are to be placed, although that deadline can be extended.

PLACEMENTS OUT OF CONNECTICUT

Connecticut children are placed in other states by (1) DCF (typically when a foster family or relative caregiver of a child in DCF custody moves and takes the child with them or when DCF places a child for adoption) and (2) a DCF-licensed, private child-caring agency (when it places a child for adoption). One of these agencies begins the placement process by submitting three copies of information about the child and the placement to the ICO. The information must include

1. the child's legal status and court order establishing it;

2. the type of placement requested;

3. the name of the person or agency where the child will be placed in the receiving state;

4. financial and medical arrangements for the child;

5. the child's permanent plan;

6. any special needs the child has (e.g., special education);

7. the child's social history, including school and medical histories and latest treatment plan;

8. the Connecticut foster home evaluation if a foster family is moving with the child to another state or the adoptive home study if the prospective adoptive family is moving before the adoption is finalized;

9. indication of whether the child is eligible for federal foster care or adoption subsidies;

10.a medical passport; and

11.one copy of the "Interstate Compact Placement Request" (ICPC100A) form.

The ICO reviews this submission for completeness and conformity with its policies and procedures. If the information is incomplete, it returns the entire package to the sender. If it is complete, it completes the ICPC 100A and sends it to the receiving state's compact administrator.

The ICPC office in the receiving state arranges for a home study to evaluate the intended placement, approves or disapproves it, and replies to Connecticut's ICPC administrator. He, in turn notifies the DCF worker or child placement agency who initiated the request.

If the receiving state disapproves, the placement cannot be made. If it approves, placement plans can move forward immediately. This entails the placing agency or DCF staff submitting a placement status form (ICPC 100B) to the ICO and, when the placement is finalized sending it the following information:

1. medical procedures to be followed and medical permissions;

2. additional medical reports, including current immunizations;

3. school transcripts;

4. DCF's written agreement with the foster or adoptive family, relative, or facility;

5. any court order that might differ from the one sent with the application; and

6. any other significant information that might help the supervising agency.

The ICO is responsible for sending this information to the receiving state.

Once the placement is made, the receiving state assumes responsibility for supervision, which it does according to its own standards. Special standards can be arranged with a private agency if DCF deems it necessary. The receiving state is expected to submit progress reports every six months, or more often if this is agreed upon when the placement is arranged, and the ICO will monitor whether they have been received. If the reports go directly to a DCF worker, he or she is expected to send two copies to the ICO.

Each child placed out of state under the compact is assigned a DCF caseworker. The child's case remains open and active until the agreement is terminated. This occurs when

1. an adoptive child is returned to Connecticut, the adoption is finalized, or the child moves to another state;

2. a foster child or a child placed in a residential facility is returned to Connecticut, adopted, turns age 18, or moves to another state; or

3. a child placed with a relative is returned to Connecticut, turns age 18, moves to another state, or when Connecticut's jurisdiction is terminated with the approval of the receiving state's compact office.

PLACEMENTS INTO CONNECTICUT

All requests to place a child in Connecticut, conduct home studies, and evaluate placements must go through the ICO. Once it receives a written request for placement, the office (1) determines if it contains the necessary information (the same as Connecticut must send to other states, see above), (2) reviews the case to determine if the placement would be consistent with Connecticut law, (3) identifies any issues that the sending state must resolve before DCF evaluates the appropriateness of a specific placement plan, (4) verifies that DCF or another agency will supervise the placement, and (5) refers the placement site (foster or adoptive home or institution) for evaluation by DCF or a child-placing agency.

Requests to place a child with a nonrelative that come from a private agency that DCF has not previously approved are referred to DCF's Office of Quality Assurance (OQA), which must approve the agency before further action on the placement can proceed. OQA also reviews requests to place any child with a nonrelated foster or adoptive family, and the family must become licensed before the placement can proceed. Requests for placement with a parent or relative are sent to the appropriate DCF regional office.

Home studies must be completed as soon as possible after the evaluating office receives the request, but no later than 30 working days. But, if that timeframe cannot be met, the evaluator can notify the ICO of the reasons for the delay and give it an anticipated completion date. When the licensing decision is made, the evaluating agency must send the ICO triplicate copies of the licensing packet and its recommendation on placement. The ICO makes the final decision on placement.

If the placement is approved, the ICO sends the ICPA 100A form, the home evaluation, and other pertinent documents to the sending state's compact office and to the supervising agency in Connecticut. When the placement is consummated, the sending state sends the ICPC 100B form and other information that the supervising agency will need to the ICO, which must forward them to the supervising agency.

DCF supervises all placements made by public agencies. Staff must contact the child and family at least every 30 days. Supervision follows DCF's minimal standards for supervision of children it places in other states. If more supervision is needed or requested, the ICO must be involved in deciding on alternatives. When an out-of-state private agency places a child in Connecticut for adoption, the Connecticut agency handling the adoption here supervises the placement.

The supervising agency is expected to submit written reports on each child at least every six months and more frequently if they are needed or agreed to with the sending agency. The reports must include the same type of information DCF requires for its clients' treatment plans, a statement on the status of the child's treatment plan, and any recommendations regarding its implementation. Reports must be sent in triplicate to the ICO.

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