600.8 Placement investigations and reports. 1. a. A preplacement investigation shall be directed to and a report of this investigation shall answer the following: (1) Whether the home of the prospective adoption petitioner is a suitable one for the placement of a minor person to be adopted. (2) How the prospective adoption petitioner’s emotional maturity, finances, health, relationships, and any other relevant factor may affect the petitioner’s ability to accept, care,and provide a minor person to be adopted with an adequate environment as that personmatures. (3) Whether the prospective adoption petitioner has been convicted of a crime under a law of any state or has a record of founded child abuse. The preplacement investigation andreport shall include an examination of the criminal and child abuse records of the prospectiveadoption petitioner including all of the following: (a) Criminal, child abuse, and sex offender registries maintained by the state.(b) Child abuse registries maintained by any other state in which the prospective adoption petitioner has resided during the five years prior to the issuance of the preplacementinvestigation report. .(b) Child abuse registries maintained by any other state in which the prospective adoption petitioner has resided during the five years prior to the issuance of the preplacementinvestigation report. (c) National biometric identification-based criminal records. For the purposes of international adoption preplacement investigations, the national biometric identification-based criminal record check results obtained pursuant to the standards ofthe United States department of homeland security shall satisfy the requirement of thissubparagraph division. (4) Whether the minor person to be adopted was the subject of a termination of parental rights proceeding pursuant to chapter 232, whether there are siblings not placed withthe minor person to be adopted, and whether, if there are siblings, there is an ongoingrelationship between the siblings and the minor child to be adopted or a court order findingcontact between the siblings is in the best interest of each sibling. b. A postplacement investigation and a report of this investigation shall:(1) Consist of no fewer than three face-to-face visits with the minor person to be adopted and the adoption petitioner to be conducted within thirty stigation and a report of this investigation shall:(1) Consist of no fewer than three face-to-face visits with the minor person to be adopted and the adoption petitioner to be conducted within thirty days, ninety days, and one hundredeighty days following the placement and during completion of the minimum residence periodspecified in section 600.10. (2) Verify the allegations of the adoption petition and its attachments and of the report of expenditures required under section 600.9. (3) Evaluate the progress of the placement of the minor person to be adopted.(4) Determine whether adoption by the adoption petitioner may be in the best interests of the minor person to be adopted. (5) Include documentation verifying that any unique needs of the minor person to be adopted are being appropriately met in the placement before the investigator recommendsfinalization of the adoption. c. (1) A background information investigation of the medical and social history of the biological parents of the minor person to be adopted and a report of the investigation shall bemade by the adoption service provider, the department, or a certified adoption investigatorprior to the placement of the minor the minor person to be adopted and a report of the investigation shall bemade by the adoption service provider, the department, or a certified adoption investigatorprior to the placement of the minor person to be adopted with any prospective adoptionpetitioner. (2) The background information investigation and report shall not disclose the identity of the biological parents of the minor person to be adopted. (3) The completed report shall be filed with the court prior to the holding of the adoption hearing prescribed in section 600.12. (4) The report shall be in substantial conformance with the prescribed medical and social history forms designed by the department pursuant to section 600A.4, subsection 2,paragraph 'g'. (5) A copy of the background information investigation report shall be furnished to the prospective adoption petitioner prior to placement of the minor person to be adopted withthe prospective adoption petitioner. Sat Dec 23 11:13:36 2023 Iowa Code 2024, Section 600.8 (26, 1) §600.8, ADOPTION 2 (6) Any person, including a juvenile court, who has gained relevant background information concerning a minor person subject to an adoption petition shall, upon request,fully 6, 1) §600.8, ADOPTION 2 (6) Any person, including a juvenile court, who has gained relevant background information concerning a minor person subject to an adoption petition shall, upon request,fully cooperate with the conducting of a background information investigation by disclosingany relevant background information, whether contained in sealed records or not. 2. a. (1) A preplacement investigation and report of the investigation shall be completed and the prospective adoption petitioner approved for a placement by the person making theinvestigation prior to any adoption service provider or department placement of a minorperson in the petitioner’s home in anticipation of an ensuing adoption. (2) A report of a preplacement investigation that has approved a prospective adoption petitioner for a placement shall not authorize placement of a minor person with that petitionerafter two years from the date of the report’s issuance. However, if the prospective adoptionpetitioner is a relative within the fourth degree of consanguinity who has assumed custodyof a minor person to be adopted, a preplacement investigation of this petitioner and a reportof the investigation may be completed ive within the fourth degree of consanguinity who has assumed custodyof a minor person to be adopted, a preplacement investigation of this petitioner and a reportof the investigation may be completed at a time established by the juvenile court or court ormay be waived as provided in subsection 12. b. (1) The person making the investigation shall not approve a prospective adoption petitioner pursuant to subsection 1, paragraph 'a', subparagraph (3), and an evaluationshall not be performed under subparagraph (2), if the petitioner has been convicted of anyof the following felony offenses: (a) Within the five-year period preceding the petition date, a drug-related offense.(b) Child endangerment or neglect or abandonment of a dependent person.(c) Domestic abuse.(d) A crime against a child, including but not limited to sexual exploitation of a minor.(e) A forcible felony.(2) The person making the investigation shall not approve a prospective adoption petitioner pursuant to subsection 1, paragraph 'a', subparagraph (3), unless an evaluationhas been made which considers the nature and seriousness of the crime or founded abusein relation to the adoption, the time elapsed since the n 1, paragraph 'a', subparagraph (3), unless an evaluationhas been made which considers the nature and seriousness of the crime or founded abusein relation to the adoption, the time elapsed since the commission of the crime or foundedabuse, the circumstances under which the crime or founded abuse was committed, thedegree of rehabilitation, and the number of crimes or founded abuse committed by theperson involved. c. If the person making the investigation does not approve a prospective adoption petitioner under paragraph 'a' of this subsection, the person investigated may appeal thedisapproval as a contested case to the director of health and human services. Judicial reviewof any adverse decision by the director may be sought pursuant to chapter 17A. 3. The department, an agency, or a certified adoption investigator shall conduct all investigations and reports required under subsection 2. 4. A postplacement investigation and the report of the investigation shall be completed and filed with the juvenile court or court prior to the holding of the adoption hearingprescribed in section 600.12. postplacement investigation and the report of the investigation shall be completed and filed with the juvenile court or court prior to the holding of the adoption hearingprescribed in section 600.12. Upon the filing of an adoption petition pursuant to section600.5, the juvenile court or court shall immediately appoint the department, an agency,or a certified adoption investigator to conduct and complete the postplacement report.Any person who has gained relevant background information concerning a minor personsubject to an adoption petition shall, upon request, fully cooperate with the conducting ofthe postplacement investigation by disclosing any relevant information requested, whethercontained in sealed records or not. 5. Any person conducting an investigation under subsection 1, paragraph 'c', subsection 3, or subsection 4, may, in the investigation or subsequent report, include, utilize, or rely uponany reports, studies, or examinations to the extent they are relevant. 6. Any person conducting an investigation under subsection 1, paragraph 'c', subsection 3, or subsection 4, may charge a fee which does not exceed the reasonable cost of the servicesrendered and which is based son conducting an investigation under subsection 1, paragraph 'c', subsection 3, or subsection 4, may charge a fee which does not exceed the reasonable cost of the servicesrendered and which is based on a sliding scale schedule relating to the investigated person’sability to pay. 7. Any investigation or report required under this section shall not apply when the person to be adopted is an adult or when the prospective adoption petitioner or adoption petitioner isa stepparent of the person to be adopted. However, in the case of a stepparent adoption, the Sat Dec 23 11:13:36 2023 Iowa Code 2024, Section 600.8 (26, 1) juvenile court or court, upon the request of an interested person or on its own motion statingthe reasons therefor of record, may order an investigation or report pursuant to this section.Additionally, if an adoption petitioner discloses a criminal conviction or deferred judgmentfor an offense other than a simple misdemeanor or founded child abuse report pursuantto section 600.5, the petitioner shall notify the court of the inclusion of this information inthe petition prior to the final adoption hearing, and the court shall make a specific rulingregarding whether to on 600.5, the petitioner shall notify the court of the inclusion of this information inthe petition prior to the final adoption hearing, and the court shall make a specific rulingregarding whether to waive any investigation or report required under subsection 1. 8. Any person designated to make an investigation and report under this section may request an agency, certified adoption investigator, or state agency, within or outside this state,to conduct a portion of the investigation or the report, as may be appropriate, and to filea supplemental report of such investigation or report with the juvenile court or court. Inthe case of the adoption of a minor person by a person domiciled or residing in any otherjurisdiction of the United States, any investigation or report required under this section whichhas been conducted pursuant to the standards of that other jurisdiction shall be recognizedin this state. 9. The department may investigate, on its own initiative or on order of the juvenile court, any placement made or adoption petition filed under this chapter or chapter 600A and mayreport its resulting recommendation to the juvenile court. 10. wn initiative or on order of the juvenile court, any placement made or adoption petition filed under this chapter or chapter 600A and mayreport its resulting recommendation to the juvenile court. 10. The department, an agency, or a certified adoption investigator may conduct any investigations required for an interstate or interagency placement. Any interstate investigations or placements shall follow the procedures and regulations under the interstatecompact on the placement of children. Such investigations and placements shall be in compliance with the laws of the states involved. 11. Any person who assists in or impedes the placement or adoption of a minor person in violation of the provisions of this section shall be, upon conviction, guilty of a simplemisdemeanor. 12. Any investigation and report required under subsection 1 may be waived by the juvenile court or court if the adoption petitioner is related within the fourth degree ofconsanguinity to the person to be adopted. However, if an adoption petitioner discloses acriminal conviction or deferred judgment for an offense other than a simple misdemeanoror founded child abuse report pursuant to section 600.5, the petitioner er, if an adoption petitioner discloses acriminal conviction or deferred judgment for an offense other than a simple misdemeanoror founded child abuse report pursuant to section 600.5, the petitioner shall notify the courtof the inclusion of this information in the petition prior to the final adoption hearing, andthe court shall make a specific ruling regarding whether to waive any investigation or reportrequired under subsection 1. [C27, 31, 35, §10501-b2; C39, §10501.2; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, §600.2; C77, 79, 81, §600.8] 83 Acts, ch 96, §157, 159; 87 Acts, ch 153, §18, 19; 88 Acts, ch 1134, §101; 94 Acts, ch 1046, §13; 98 Acts, ch 1190, §30; 99 Acts, ch 138, §1, 2; 2000 Acts, ch 1145, §10, 11; 2001 Acts, ch24, §67, 68, 74; 2006 Acts, ch 1029, §2, 3; 2011 Acts, ch 98, §5; 2014 Acts, ch 1029, §1, 2; 2017Acts, ch 113, §4 – 6; 2022 Acts, ch 1096, §8; 2023 Acts, ch 19, §1247 Referred to in §600.2, 600.6, 600.11, 600.12A, 600.14A, 600.15, 600.16, 600A.2Interstate compact on placement of children, see §232.158Subsection 2, paragraph c amended Sat Dec 23 11:13:36 2023 Iowa Code 2024, Section 600.8 (26, 1)
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