(a)Any county may apply for, and the department may issue pursuant to Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 1500) of Division 2 of the Health and Safety Code to any county agency designated by the county making the application, a license to perform the home-finding and placement functions, to investigate, examine, and make reports upon petitions for adoption filed in the superior court, to act as a placement agency in the placement of children for adoption, to accept relinquishments for adoption, and to perform such other functions in connection with adoption as the department deems necessary, or to do any of them. Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize a licensed county adoption agency, as provided in subdivision (d), to provide intercountry adoption services.
(b)Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a licensed county adoption agency may contract for services described in subdivision (a) from any licensed private adoption agency that the private adoption agency is licensed to provide pursuant to Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 1500) of Division 2 of the Health and Safety Code. A licensed county adoption agency may also contract for services described in subdivision (a) from any out-of-state licensed public or private adoption agency that is licensed pursuant to the laws of that state. Any services contracted for shall substantially meet the standards and criteria established in California adoption regulations as determined by the licensed county adoption agency. These services shall be contracted for in order to facilitate adoptive placement of a specified category of children for whom the licensed county adoption agency has determined it cannot provide adequate services.
(c)In order to extend the services of county adoption agencies to the maximum number of counties practicable within the limits of funds appropriated therefor, the department may license a county adoption agency to operate in such other counties in the general area of the agency as it deems conducive to the effective and efficient administration of the adoption program.
(d)A license issued to a county agency pursuant to this section constitutes the holder thereof a "county adoption agency" and the holder shall be deemed to be an "organization" within the meaning of this code and of Division 13 (commencing with Section 8500) of the Family Code.