POLICY AND PROCEDURE
House of New Hope
POLICY: JFS-2-5-48-05
TITLE: Adoption Recruitment Plan
EFFECTIVE DATE: 2/03 AUTHORIZED BY: Board of Trustees
REVISION DATE:
Revised: 4-27-07
Revised: 5-28-09
Revised:10-12-2012
Revised: 9-2013
Revised: 4-2014
Revised: 6-2014
Revised: 5-2016
5101:2-48-05 (D)(1)
House of New Hope will comply with all Multi-Ethnic Placement Act directives. In the event of a complaint of discrimination in the adoption process that involves race, color, or national origin, a written complaint will be filed and investigated per House of New Hope protocol.
5101:2-48-05 (H) – Not applicable
House of New Hope does not have waiting children for whom adoptive homes are needed. As a result, the agency is not involved in recruitment efforts of families that reflect the diversity of such children. House of New Hope provides services that promote the adoption of foster children by their foster parent(s) and identified adoptions in which the birth parent(s) and adoptive parent(s) have already been identified and matched by another agency/organization.
5101:2-48-05 (K)(1)
House of New Hope adheres to a non-discriminatory policy on determining the approved adoptive parents who will be presented as a potential adoptive parent for the child in the event of a matching conference, regardless of their income. The ability to pay a fee will not influence the choice of the most appropriate parent(s) for a child.
The Schedule of fees for Adoption Services is as follows:
i. see Adoption Fee Appendix
5101:2-48-05 (K)(2)
House of New Hope’s community starts with the location of the office in Licking County, Ohio. House of New Hope conducts Home Study Assessments in all 88 Ohio Counties. As adoptive families are always pre-identified by virtue of being the assigned foster parent(s) or by a contracting agency, recruitment efforts to reach all parts of our defined community are minimal.
5101:2-48-05 (K)(3)
House of New Hope uses the following methods for disseminating both general and targeted recruitment:
i. Recruitment services of third party adoption agencies
ii. Internet and agency website
iii. Opportunities for foster families to be dually licensed (foster care and adoption)
iv. Foster parent orientation training
5101:2-48-05 (K)(4) – 5101:2-48-08 (B)
House of New Hope responds to all prospective adoptive applicant inquiries within seven days. For those prospective adoptive applicants with access to the internet, House of New Hope has a copy of JFS 01675 on our website. In addition, the following packet of information is mailed to the prospective adoptive applicant pursuant to 5101:2-48-08:
1. A copy of the JFS 01675 (Ohio Adoption Guide)
2. A description of the Title IV-E adoption assistance and state subsidy programs including eligibility requirements and the application process.
3. The address of the Ohio adoption photo listing web page
4. An application for adoption
5. A copy of the Adoption Policy prepared pursuant to 5101:2-48-05
6. The criminal records check requirements pursuant to rule 5101:2-48-10
7. The foster care/adoption home study process
8. MEPA complaint procedures
9. JFS 01611
10. If the inquirer lives out of state and has an approved home study, the agency will send a JFS 01675
11. If the family has identified a child they are interested in, the family will be given the telephone number of the custodial agency
12. If the inquirer lives out of state and does not have an approved home study, the agency will send a JFS 01675 and inform the inquirer that they will need a completed and approved home study from their state of residence in order to adopt an Ohio waiting child.
5101:2-48-05 (K)(5)
House of New Hope provides in-home Home Study services seven days a week and both day and evening times in order to accommodate the needs applicants requiring a Home Study.
5101:2-48-05 (K)(6)
House of New Hope provides annually mandated staff training on topics related to working with racially, ethnically and economically diverse cultures and communities toward our goal of enhancing cultural competence, cultural awareness and cultural sensitivity.
5101:2-48-05 (K)(7)
Strategies for overcoming linguistic barriers between House of New Hope and a prospective adoptive parent may include, but not be limited to:
1. The use of family members that can translate for all parties
2. The use of professional translators from local organizations or colleges that can translate for all parties
3. Web-based software that can translate documents into the prospective adoptive parent’s primary language and/or translate back into English
5101:2-48-05 (G)
House of New Hope will continually recruit adoptive parents. Adoptive parents will not be denied based upon race, color, or national origin of any involved, including adoptive parents and children.
5101:2-48-05 (H) – Not applicable
House of New Hope has no children in the permanent custody or permanent surrender of the agency that are on a waiting list as all children placed are involved in targeted adoption. In the event House of New Hope did have a child that was not previously matched, House of New Hope would implement a recruitment plan to match the child with the most appropriate adoptive home. This recruitment would work to ensure a diverse availability of adoptive homes.
5101:2-48-05 (L)(1)
House of New Hope typical is involved in permanent custody of children who are infants placed at birth in a targeted adoption. There are no typical characteristics regarding gender, race and ethnicity, developmental needs, emotional and mental health needs, or physical needs.
5101:2-48-05 (L)(2)
House of New Hope facilitates targeted adoptions with racial and ethnic diversity.
5101:2-48-05 (L)(3)
There are no under-represented racial or ethnic groups of waiting families.
5101:2-48-05 (L)(4)
House of New Hope will conduct child specific recruitment for a child in our custody if after one conference there are no potential families.
5101:2-48-05 (L)(5)
In the rare event that House of New Hope would find itself with the custody of a child that did not have a pre-identified adoptive parent, the agency will send written information on the child to other adoption agencies throughout Ohio. Should House of New Hope gain access to the SACWIS system, then a search for prospective parents may be utilized and information about the child sent out to those identified as potential adoptive families.