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On Octo-ber 27, 2010, Governor Edward G. Rendell signed Senate Bill 1360 into law. This amendment to the Adoption Act (23 Pa.C.S.A. Domestic Relations Chapters 21-29), known as Act 101 of 2010, became effective April 25, 2011. Act 101 of 2010 increases the options for “openness” in Pennsylvania’s adoption process in several ways.

Child Eligibility Requirements:

The child has been adjudicated dependent, or delinquent with SCR, cannot return home and the goal of adoption has been ruled out.

The child , age 12 or older, refuses to consent to adoption and has participated in adoption prep counseling.

In order to qualify for Adoption Assistance, a child must meet one of the following require-ments:
A physical, mental or emotional condition or handicap.
A genetic condition which indicates a high risk of developing a disease or handi-cap.
Be a member of a minority group.
Be a member of a sibling group that is placed together. (The adoption of the siblings does not have to occur at the same time)
Be 5 years of age or older.
PA Code 3140.202

As adopting parents, you are qualified for up to $2000 reimbursement of nonrecurring expenses when you adopt a child with special needs Who is eligible? In a word, all adopted children (domestic, and international) with special needs are potentially eligible for the nonrecurring reimbursement.

When can an adoption subsidy be renegotiated?

Parents can renegotiate an adoption assistance agreement if the adoptive parents request an increase in payment due to a change in their circumstances and a higher foster care rate would have been paid on behalf of the child if the child had still been in foster care.

When is the subsidy negotiated?

Both federal and State law and regulations require that an adoption assistance agreement must be entered into prior to the finalization of the adoption. Ideally, adoption assistance should be negotiated several months prior to the anticipated finalization date.

Policy and Procedures:

The Office of Children, Youth and Families expects all public and private social service agencies that approve Resource families to have in place written protocols that document how the agencies insure that the following provisions of Act 68, 73, and 76 are standardized as part of the agency’s best practice:

Where To Go Philadelphia Family Court, 1501 Arch St. Philadelphia 19102

To download a complete copy of Court Participation, download the Resource Parent Manual www.psrfa.org

Under what circumstances may a title IV-E agency suspend adoption assistance payments?

Answer

Pursuant to long-standing policy, title IV-E agencies were prohibited from suspending adoption assistance payments because a suspension was the equivalent of terminating adoption assistance payments. See ACYF-CB-PIQ-98-02, as incorporated into §8.2 of the Child Welfare Policy Manual (CWPM).