CHAPTER 203
IOWA ADOPTION EXCHANGE
Preamble
The purpose of the Iowa adoption exchange as mandated by Iowa Code section 232.119, is to facilitate the placement of Iowa children who are legally available for adoption.
This chapter requires that children with special needs under state guardianship be registered on the Iowa adoption exchange within 60 days after termination of parental rights unless a deferral is granted according to Iowa Code section 232.119 and that all children under state guardianship for whom an adoptive home is not available within 90 days after termination be registered, not just children with special needs. Child-placing agencies may also register children under their guardianship whose parental rights have been terminated.
Department workers, child-placing agencies and certified adoption investigators shall register approved adoptive families, if the families wish to adopt a child with special needs or a sibling group.
441—203.1(232) Definitions.
“Certified adoption investigator” means a person as defined in Iowa Code chapter 600 and certified by the department under 441—Chapter 107.
“Child-placing agency” means an agency as defined in Iowa Code chapter 238 and licensed under 441—Chapter 108.
“Children with special needs” means children as defined in 441—subrule 201.3(1).
“Department” means the Iowa department of human services.
“Exchange” means the Iowa adoption exchange system.
“Iowa adoption exchange system” is a computerized system established to facilitate the adoptive placement of children by matching children legally available for adoption and approved families desiring to adopt a child with special needs or a sibling group and referring the families to the child’s adoption worker.
“Prospective adoptive family” means a family residing in Iowa approved to provide an adoptive home for a child.
“Recruitment, retention, training and support (RRTS) contract” means the state’s contractor(s) responsible for activities related to licensing foster families and approving adoptive families, providing support services to foster and preadoptive families, conducting preservice and in-service training, and providing assistance in matching children in need of foster home care.
[ARC 6506C, IAB 9/7/22, effective 11/1/22]
441—203.2(232) Children to be registered on the exchange system. All children with special needs under state guardianship shall be registered on the Iowa adoption exchange system within 60 days of receipt of the termination of parental rights court order, unless a deferral is granted by the adoption program manager. In addition to the children with special needs being placed on the exchange system, those children under state guardianship for whom an adoptive home is not available within 90 days after termination shall be placed on the exchange system by department staff. Department workers shall forward the child’s photograph to the division of adult, children and family services, adoption program, for photolisting in the Iowa’s Waiting Children Book at the time that the child is registered on the Iowa adoption exchange system.
Licensed child-placing agencies may register a child whose parental rights have been terminated and who is under their guardianship using one of the following methods:
	203.2(1) The agency shall submit Form 470-3351 to the department for entry of the child’s name and data if the agency is registering fewer than four children a calendar year. The RRTS contractor(s) manages the state’s photo listing. This form authorizes the RRTS contractor to post the child on the state and national exchanges.
	203.2(2) The agency shall access the Iowa adoption exchange system and directly enter the child’s name and data when the agency registers four or more children in a calendar year.
[ARC 6506C, IAB 9/7/22, effective 11/1/22]
441—203.3(232) Families to be registered on the exchange system. Approved families wishing to adopt a child with special needs or a sibling group shall be registered on the exchange system by department staff.
Licensed child-placing agencies and certified adoption investigators shall register an approved family wishing to adopt a child with special needs or a sibling group on the exchange using one of the following methods:
	a. 	Licensed child-placing agencies shall:
	(1)	Submit Form 470-0752, Exchange Referral of Family, to the department for entry of the family’s name and data if the agency is registering less than four families a calendar year.
	(2)	Access the Iowa adoption exchange system and directly enter the family’s name and data when the agency registers four or more families in a calendar year.
	b. 	Certified adoption investigators shall submit Form 470-0752, Exchange Referral of Family, to the department for entry of the family’s name and data.
Only families wishing to adopt a child with special needs or a child for whom no adoptive placement can be found within 90 days after termination will be placed on the exchange.
441—203.4(232) Matching process. Using the computerized Iowa adoption exchange system, department workers and licensed child-placing agencies shall search for approved families to meet the needs of the available children. The child’s and family’s workers shall be contacted for additional information needed to make an informed decision concerning possible adoptive placements.
These rules are intended to implement Iowa Code section 232.119.
[Filed 9/24/87, Notice 8/12/87—published 10/21/87, effective 12/1/87]
[Filed 11/15/91, Notice 9/18/91—published 12/11/91, effective 2/1/92]
[Filed ARC 6506C (Notice ARC 6365C, IAB 6/15/22), IAB 9/7/22, effective 11/1/22]