NAC127.415. Criteria for selection of adoptive home.

     1. An agency which provides child welfare services shall select an adoptive home for a child in the custody of that agency based on the ability of the members of that home to meet the needs of that child.

     2. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, an agency which provides child welfare services shall consider the list of approved adoptive homes for the placement of a child based upon the individual needs of the child until a home that best meets the needs of the child to be adopted is identified. The agency may also consider whether the applicant is willing to:

     (a) Provide financial or medical assistance related to the birth of the child that the biological parent is unable to provide;

     (b) Consider the degree of openness desired by the biological parent; or

     (c) Accept a legal-risk placement.

     3. An agency which provides child welfare services shall make a comprehensive individualized assessment for the placement of a child based on the specific needs and circumstances of that child. The agency shall consider the following factors in the selection of an adoptive home for a particular child:

     (a) Placement of the child with a person who is related within the third degree of consanguinity to the child and is a suitable adoptive parent.

     (b) Placement of the child with his or her siblings. If a child has one or more siblings who are also available for adoption, the agency shall make every effort to place the children in the same adoptive home, regardless of whether the children were living in separate homes before the placement for adoption, if the agency determines that such a placement is in the best interests of the child.

     (c) How the home and the members of the adoptive family may meet the current and future specific needs of the child.

     (d) The legal status of the child, whether the adoptive family is willing to accept a legal-risk placement and the extent to which the adoptive family is willing to assume such a legal risk.

     (e) Any other special considerations that may be necessary based on the needs and circumstances of the child.

     4. If the biological parent who relinquishes his or her parental rights to an agency which provides child welfare services wishes to be involved in the selection process, the agency shall allow that parent to review adoptive studies selected by the agency in accordance with subsections 2 and 3. The agency shall withhold information about the prospective adoptive family from the biological parent in accordance with the type of adoption desired pursuant to NAC 127.361.

     5. With respect to the adoption of a child who is not in the custody of an agency which provides child welfare services, the person responsible for the child may select the adoptive family.

     (Added to NAC by Div. of Child & Fam. Services by R056-02, eff. 7-30-2002)