What federal agencies are currently involved in inter-country adoption? How would ICARE change that?
Under the current process, three federal agencies are involved in international adoption. The Department of Health and Human Services advises the states regarding the licensing of agencies that conduct home studies and facilitate child placement. The Department of State is chiefly responsible for overseas processing, including background investigations and issuing the visas to adopted children. The INS (now Department of Homeland Security) regulates the petition process: pre-approving parents for adoption, approving children for adoption and inspecting adopted children when they enter the US. ICARE proposes to consolidate all three functions into a specially created Office of Inter-Country Adoptions within the Department of State. This would allow for better communication, the development of expertise, consolidation of records and greater accountability.
