ICPC State Pages

Maryland Home Studies (Adoption/Foster Care/Kinship/Parent/Relative)

Types of Home Studies

Maryland conducts the following types of home studies:

• Relative Care
• Foster Care
• Relative-Foster Care
• Parent Care
• Foster- Adopt
• Adoption
• Other

Maryland designates staff in each county/region to conduct home studies and/or process interstate placements:

• Yes

Maryland considers a home study as current/valid for:

• Public: 1 year
• Private: 1 year

Private Contract Services - Home Study

As the Sending State, Maryland will pay a contractor or private/independent agency in the Receiving State to conduct a home study:

• Other: Extremely Rarely, but will have a contract if it does so.

As the Receiving State, Maryland will permit a Sending state to pay a contractor or private/independent agency in the Receiving State to conduct a home study:

• Yes

As the Receiving State, Maryland will accept/update a home study that was not originally conducted by the receiving state or a private contractor acting on behalf of the Receiving State:

• Other: This will vary by case-specific circumstances, such as a Reg. #1 move, but then still require new MD home study.

Prospective adoptive parents permitted to pay for a pre-adoptive home study:

• Private Adoptions: Yes
• Independent Adoptions: Yes

DCPS contracts for Purchase of Services with private agencies in other states:

• Yes

Foster Care Home Study

Home study for foster care conducted prior to Termination of Parental Rights (TPR):

• Yes

Parent Home Study

If child has been removed from the parent, Maryland requires a home study evaluation before reunification:

• Yes, a home study in the receiving state is required prior to placement and reunification per the ICPC Compact unless per ICPC Reg. #3, 3 (a) the child is being reunified with a parent who was not the subject of abuse or neglect allegations, there is no evidence to suggest that the parent may be unfit, the sending State court has determined ICPC is inapplicable per Reg. #3, number 3 (a) and the court relinquishes jurisdictioin over the child immediately upon placement with the parent.

Non-Custodial Parents: Placements with non-custodial parents are not covered under the ICPC if:

• • A court does not have evidence before it that such parent is unfit;
  • Does not seek such evidence; and
  • Does not retain jurisdiction over the child after the court transfers the child.

Regulation 7 Priority Placement

Maryland performs priority placements:

• Yes

A court ordered Priority 7 conducted if the child is in a DCF shelter or foster home for substantial period of time.

Wait Time (ICPC Interstate Home Study) - Public

Average length of time to process and complete a home study with criminal background checks for an interstate placement (Not including completion of educational training):

• 90 days

Wait time to complete Home Study, only (without criminal records check):

• Other: A preliminary report is provided at 60 days.

Wait Time (ICPC Interstate Home Study) - Private

Average length of time to process and complete a home study with criminal background checks for an interstate placement (Not including completion of education training):

• Other: Requests that come to us from private adoption agencies arrive with the completed home study attached. It is not known how long the home studies take to complete, because they are already completed by the time that ICPC becomes involved.

Wait time to complete Home Study, only (without criminal records check):

• Other: Requests that come to us from private adoption agencies arrive with the completed home study attached. It is not known how long the home studies take to complete, because they are already complete by the time that ICPC becomes involved.

Maryland determines the "Date of Receipt" for an interstate home study as:

• Other

Method of requesting, sending, and/or reporting an interstate home study

Criminal Record Checks

Maryland requires criminal background checks for the following home studies:

• Foster Care
• Relative Care
• Relative-Foster Care
• Foster-Adopt
• Adoption
• Parent

Type of Checks (Crim. & Abuse Neglect Registry)

Maryland requires the following types of criminal background and perpetrator checks (Federal (F), State (S), Local (L), Abuse and Neglect Registry (ANR), Not Required (NR))

Wait Time for Criminal Records Results

Wait time for fingerprint results are:

Live Scan or other technology

• State: 4-7 days
• Local/County: Not Offered

Manually - Fingerprint Card

• State: 61-180 days
• Local/County: Not Offered