Update on Re-Homing

Recently CWLA has highlighted news reports on re-homing through Reuters, NBC News and other outlets. Last year we gathered over twenty thousand signatures on an on-line petition that was sent to Congress urging them to address this issue. Re-homing is a practice by some individuals and families who have sought to relinquish their adopted children (generally children adopted through an international process or placement agencies). The reports were frightening and tragic.

We want to forward onto you a just-released guidance by the Department of Health and Humans Services in response to this challenge. The Information Memorandum (IM) clarifies states abilities to use current child welfare funding but it also urges states to recognize some of these practices as cases of child abuse and neglect. It also urges states to more globally review their family law and family law practices beyond just child welfare laws.

The IM specifically promotes the use of federal title IV-B and IV-E funding to support families who have adopted domestically or internationally. It states, “These services may be provided to any child or family the state title IV-B agency deems is in need of them and may include families who have adopted internationally”.

We are pleased to see the federal department issuing this important guidance and are hopeful this will lead to further action by the Administration and Congress.