42 U.S.C. § 5111 : US Code - Section 5111: Congressional findings and declaration of purpose

Search 42 U.S.C. § 5111 : US Code - Section 5111: Congressional findings and declaration of purpose

(a) Findings
Congress finds that -
(1) the number of children in substitute care has increased by
nearly 24 percent since 1994, as our Nation's foster care
population included more than 565,000 as of September of 2001;
(2) children entering foster care have complex problems that
require intensive services, with many such children having
special needs because they are born to mothers who did not
receive prenatal care, are born with life threatening conditions
or disabilities, are born addicted to alcohol or other drugs, or
have been exposed to infection with the etiologic agent for the
human immunodeficiency virus;
(3) each year, thousands of children are in need of placement
in permanent, adoptive homes;
(4) many thousands of children remain in institutions or foster
homes solely because of legal and other barriers to their
placement in permanent, adoptive homes;
(5)(A) currently, there are 131,000 children waiting for
adoption;
(B) such children are typically school aged, in sibling groups,
have experienced neglect or abuse, or have a physical, mental, or
emotional disability; and
(C) while the children are of all races, children of color and
older children (over the age of 10) are over represented in such
group;
(6) adoption may be the best alternative for assuring the
healthy development of such children;
(7) there are qualified persons seeking to adopt such children
who are unable to do so because of barriers to their placement;
and
(8) in order both to enhance the stability and love of the
child's home environment and to avoid wasteful expenditures of
public funds, such children should not have medically indicated
treatment withheld from them nor be maintained in foster care or
institutions when adoption is appropriate and families can be
found for such children.
(b) Purpose
It is the purpose of this subchapter to facilitate the
elimination of barriers, including geographic barriers, to adoption
and to provide permanent and loving home environments for children
who would benefit from adoption, particularly children with special
needs, including disabled infants with life-threatening conditions,
by providing a mechanism to -
(1) promote quality standards for adoption services, pre-
placement, post-placement, and post-legal adoption counseling,
and standards to protect the rights of children in need of
adoption;
(2) maintain an Internet-based national adoption information
exchange system to bring together children who would benefit from
adoption and qualified prospective adoptive parents who are
seeking such children, and conduct national recruitment efforts
in order to reach prospective parents for children awaiting
adoption; and
(3) demonstrate expeditious ways to free children for adoption
for whom it has been determined that adoption is the appropriate
plan.