Use of Advertising and Facilitators in Adoptive Placements

Use of Advertisement
Citation: Gen. Stat. § 48-10-101(b)-(b1)

No one other than a county department of social services, an adoption facilitator, or a licensed agency may advertise in any periodical or newspaper, or by radio, television, or other public medium, that any person or entity will place or accept a child for adoption.

This article shall not prohibit a person from advertising that the person desires to adopt. This section shall apply only to a person with a current completed preplacement assessment that finds the person suitable to be an adoptive parent.

The advertisement may be published only in a periodical or newspaper or on radio, television, cable television, or the Internet. The advertisement shall include a statement that:

• Indicates that the person has a completed preplacement assessment
• Identifies the name of the agency that completed the preplacement assessment
• Identifies the date the preplacement assessment was completed
• States whether the person is willing to provide lawful expenses

Use of Intermediaries/Facilitators
Citation: Gen. Stat. §§ 48-10-102; 48-10-101; 48-1-101(3a); 48-3-201; 48-3-202

Except as provided in § 48-10-103, a person or entity may not pay or give, offer to pay or give, or request, receive, or accept any money or anything of value, directly or indirectly, for:

• The placement of a minor for adoption
• The consent of a parent, a guardian, or an agency to the adoption of a minor
• The relinquishment of a minor to an agency for purposes of adoption
• Assisting a parent or guardian in locating or evaluating a potential adoptive parent or in transferring custody of a minor to the adoptive parent

No one other than a parent, guardian, or agency may place a minor for adoption. No one other than a parent, guardian, agency, or an adoption facilitator may solicit potential adoptive parents for children in need of adoption. No one other than an agency or an adoption facilitator, or an individual with a completed preplacement assessment that contains a finding that the individual is suitable to be an adoptive parent or that individual's immediate family, may solicit for adoption a potential adoptee.

An adoption facilitator is an individual or a nonprofit entity that assists birth parents in locating and evaluating prospective adoptive parents without charge.

In a direct placement, a parent or guardian must personally select a prospective adoptive parent, but a parent or guardian may obtain assistance from another person or entity, or an adoption facilitator, in locating or evaluating a prospective adoptive parent.

Credits: Child Welfare Information Gateway (http://www.childwelfare.gov)