§ 48-3-303. Content and timing of preplacement assessment.
§ 48‑3‑303. Content and timing of preplacement assessment.
(a) A preplacementassessment shall be completed within 90 days after a request has been accepted.
(b) The preplacementassessment must be based on at least one personal interview with each individualbeing assessed in the individual's residence and any report received pursuantto subsection (c) of this section.
(c) The preplacementassessment shall, after a reasonable investigation, report on the followingabout the individual being assessed:
(1) Age and date ofbirth, nationality, race, or ethnicity, and any religious preference;
(2) Marital and familystatus and history, including the presence of any children born to or adoptedby the individual and any other children in the household;
(3) Physical and mentalhealth, including any addiction to alcohol or drugs;
(4) Educational andemployment history and any special skills;
(5) Property and income,and current financial information provided by the individual;
(6) Reason for wantingto adopt;
(7) Any previous requestfor an assessment or involvement in an adoptive placement and the outcome ofthe assessment or placement;
(8) Whether theindividual has ever been a respondent in a domestic violence proceeding or aproceeding concerning a minor who was allegedly abused, dependent, neglected,abandoned, or delinquent, and the outcome of the proceeding;
(9) Whether theindividual has ever been convicted of a crime other than a minor trafficviolation;
(10) Whether theindividual has located a parent interested in placing a child with theindividual for adoption and a brief, nonidentifying description of the parentand the child; and
(11) Any other fact orcircumstance that may be relevant to a determination of the individual'ssuitability to be an adoptive parent, including the quality of the environmentin the home and the functioning of any children in the household.
(12) The agency preparingthe preplacement assessment may redact from the preplacement assessmentprovided to a placing parent or guardian detailed information reflecting theprospective adoptive parent's financial account balances and detailedinformation about the prospective adoptive parent's extended family members,including surnames, names of employers, names of schools attended, social securitynumbers, telephone numbers and addresses, and other similarly detailedinformation about extended family members obtained under subsections (b) and(c) of this section.
When any of the above is notreasonably available, the preplacement assessment shall state why it isunavailable.
(d) The agency shallconduct an investigation for any criminal record as permitted by law. If aprospective adoptive parent is seeking to adopt a minor who is in the custodyor placement responsibility of a county department of social services, a countydepartment of social services shall have the prospective adoptive parent'scriminal history and the criminal histories of all individuals 18 years of ageor older who reside in the prospective adoptive home investigated pursuant toG.S. 48‑3‑309, and in accordance with G.S. 48‑3‑309(b),make a determination as to the prospective adoptive parent's fitness to haveresponsibility for the safety and well‑being of children and as towhether other individuals required to be checked are fit for an adoptive childto reside with them in the home.
(e) In the preplacementassessment, the agency shall review the information obtained pursuant tosubsections (b), (c), and (d) of this section and evaluate the individual'sstrengths and weaknesses to be an adoptive parent. The agency shall thendetermine whether the individual is suitable to be an adoptive parent.
(f) If the agencydetermines that the individual is suitable to be an adoptive parent, thepreplacement assessment shall include specific factors which support thatdetermination.
(g) If the agencydetermines that the individual is not suitable to be an adoptive parent, thereplacement assessment shall state the specific concerns which support thatdetermination. A specific concern is one that reasonably indicates thatplacement of any minor, or a particular minor, in the home of the individualwould pose a significant risk of harm to the well‑being of the minor.
(h) In addition to theinformation and finding required by subsections (c) through (g) of thissection, the preplacement assessment must contain a list of the sources ofinformation on which it is based.
(i) The SocialServices Commission shall have authority to establish by rule additionalstandards for preplacement assessments. (1995, c. 457, s. 2; 1998‑229, s. 14; 2001‑150,s. 8; 2005‑114, s. 2; 2007‑276, s. 8.)