NCJ Number
200751
Editor(s)
Babara Seibel
Date Published
2001
Length
307 pages
Annotation
This manual provides an instructional guide for juvenile and family court judges and other personnel who are responsible for the placement of children across State lines for adoption or foster care.
Abstract
The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) establishes procedures for the interstate placement of children and outlines the responsibilities for persons involved in their placement. The Compact is a law that has been adopted in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands to ensure the safety and well being of children who are placed in foster care or are adopted across State lines. The introduction to the manual provides the goals of the manual, a brief history of the collaboration between the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) and the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA), and a history of the ICPC. Chapter 1 of the manual presents ICPC procedures, including a discussion about when the Compact applies to a case, when a court must retain jurisdiction in ICPC cases, and time frames and priority placements. Chapter 1 also offers a summary discussion of the articles and regulations of the ICPC. Chapter 2 outlines the challenges, solutions, and best practices of the ICPC, including a discussion of illegal practices such as inappropriately using guardianship to evade compliance. Chapter 2 also presents strategies to prevent, or deal with, delays in the ICPC process and discusses how to avoid disruptions when a foster parent moves to another State. Other topics in chapter 2 include how to deal with youth who run away from an ICPC placement, how to figure out which State law applies to a placement, how to deal with divergent home study requirements, how to ensure the financial needs of children are met, and how to enforce local and State child protection agency compliance. Chapter 3 presents an instructional guide for teaching ICPC requirements to juvenile and family court judges and collaborative teams. Finally, the appendix offers additional information and guidance, such as ICPC forms, the Indian Child Welfare Act, a sample Border State Agreement, and other resources.