Bipartisan legislation sponsored on Jan. 15 by U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) would provide international adoption agencies with multiple avenues to pursue necessary accreditation.
“The one-size-fits-all accreditation standard doesn’t work for children needing stability and international agencies who facilitate the adoption process,” Sen. Wicker said. “Our bill is pro-family and puts more children in loving homes.”
The Voluntary Limited Accreditation for Adoption Services Act, S. 3678, which is cosponsored by U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), would modify the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 to allow for a voluntary limited accreditation for adoption agencies for specific services.
“Today, there are thousands of children around the world who are in need of loving families and permanent homes,” said Sen. Wicker. “Unfortunately, bureaucratic red tape makes the accreditation process difficult for international adoption agencies to obtain.”
If enacted, the limited accreditation under S. 3678 would be given for services such as performing a background study on a child in an outgoing case and reporting on such a study; performing a home study on the prospective adoptive parent(s) in an incoming case and reporting on such a study; and monitoring a case after a child has been placed with prospective adoptive parent(s) until final adoption, including preparing post-placement reports.
“By creating a new pathway for providers that offer critical services like background and home studies, our bipartisan legislation ensures that families have trusted local agencies to help them navigate the adoption process and give children safe, stable homes,” said Sen. Klobuchar.