February 2006Vol. 7, No. 1Placing Children Across States
The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) was created in 1960 to facilitate the placement of children across State lines. Although it has been enacted into law in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands, the actual practice of interjurisdictional placement is so complicated that ICPC placements typically take much longer to complete than other placements.
American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) is leading an ICPC task force that is rewriting the compact. The new compact will provide a better framework for ensuring that adoptions across State lines are timely and suitable and provide needed support services.
www.aphsa.org/Policy/Adoption.asp (Editor's note: Link no longer active)
The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute has released a policy brief that provides an overview of the current status of the ICPC, as well as efforts to redraft the compact to make it more efficient for participating States. Safeguarding Interstate Adoptions: The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children provides information about the background and scope of the ICPC and a discussion of the barriers to timely interjurisdictional placements.
