ICPC State Pages

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

Types of Home Studies

Oregon conducts the following types of home studies:

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

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

• Yes

Oregon considers a home study as current/valid for:

• Public: 2 years
• Private: 2 years

Private Contract Services - Home Study

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

• No

As the Receiving State, Oregon 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, Oregon 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: Usally no, but may be considered under rare case-specific circumstances.

Adoptive Home Study

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

• Yes

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, Oregon requires a home study evaluation before reunification:

• Yes, a home study in the receiving state is required prior to reunification unless the child is being reunified with a parent who was not the subject of abuse or neglect allegations, and there is no other evidence to suggest that the parent may be unfit, in which case a home study in the receiving state is optional but not required as long as agency custody is dismissed at the time of placement.

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.

Proof of Paternity is required:

• No

Relative/Kinship Home Study

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

• Yes

Define Relative:

• "Relative" means:

  (a) An individual with one of the following relationships to the child or young adult through the parent of the child or young adult:

  (A) Any blood relative of preceding generations denoted by the prefixes of grand, great, or great-great.

  (B) Any half-blood relative of preceding generations denoted by the prefixes of grand, great, or great-great (individuals with one common biological parent are half-blood relatives).

  (C) A sibling, also to include an individual with a sibling relationship to the child or young adult through a putative father.

  (D) An aunt, uncle, nephew, niece, first cousin, and first cousin once removed.

  (E) A spouse of anyone listed in paragraphs (A) to (D) of this subsection, even if a petition for annulment, dissolution, or separation has been filed or the marriage is terminated by divorce or death. To be considered a relative under this paragraph, the child or young adult must have had a relationship with the spouse prior to the child or young adult entering substitute care.

  (F) For the purposes of an international adoption, relative means an individual described in paragraphs (A) to (D) of this subsection.

   

  (b) An individual with one of the following relationships to the child or young adult:

  (A) An individual defined as a relative by the law or custom of the tribe of the child or young adult if the child or young adult is an Indian child under the Indian Child Welfare Act or in the legal custody of a tribe.

  (B) An individual defined as a relative of a refugee child or young adult under Child Welfare Policy I-E.2.2, "Placement of Refugee Children" OAR 413-070-0300 to 413-070-0380.

  (C) A stepparent described in OAR 413-100-0020(27)(c) or former stepparent if the child or young adult had a relationship with the former stepparent prior to the child or young adult entering substitute care; a stepbrother; or a stepsister.

  (D) The registered domestic partner of the parent of the child or young adult or a former registered domestic partner of the parent of the child or young adult if the child or young adult had a relationship with the former domestic partner prior to entering substitute care.

  (E) The adoptive parent of a sibling of a child or young adult.

  (F) The unrelated legal or biological father or mother of a half-sibling of a child or young adult when the half-sibling of the child or young adult is living with the unrelated legal or biological father or mother.

  (c) An individual identified by the child or young adult or the family of the child or young adult, or an individual who self-identifies, related to the child or young adult through the parent of the child or young adult by blood, adoption, or marriage to a degree other than an individual specified as a relative in paragraphs (A) to (D) of subsection (a) of this section.

  (d) An individual, although not related by blood, adoption, or marriage identified as:

  (A) A member of the family by the child or young adult or the family of the child or young adult; and

  (B) An individual who had an emotionally significant relationship with the child or young adult or the family of the child or young adult prior to the time the Department placed the child in substitute care.

Relatives must be licensed:

• Yes

Proof of Paternity is required:

• No

Oregon considers the following types and degrees of relation as relative placements. Individuals related in the 1st degree, 2nd degree, 3rd degree and 4th degree (You may need to refer to your state's consanguinity chart or state statute to determine relations or relative status.):

• 1st Degree (mother, father, sister, brother, son, daughter)
• 2nd Degree (grandmother, grandfather, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, first cousin)
• 3rd Degree (great grandmother, great grandfather, great aunt, great uncle, grand-niece, grand nephew, second cousin)
• 4th Degree (great, great-grandmother, great, great-grandfather, great, great aunt, great, great aunt, great, great uncle, great grand-niece, great grand nephew, third cousin)
• Godmother, Godfather
• Other

Regulation 7 Priority Placement

Oregon 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 within 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 always arrive with the completed home study attached. It is not known how long the home studies take to complete, because they are always already complete 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 always arrive with the completed home study attached. It is not known how long the home studies take to complete, because they are always already complete by the time that ICPC becomes involved. Private agencies generally don't submit the home study until the background checks are complete.

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

• Date stamped in the ICPC Office.

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

Criminal Record Checks

Oregon 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)

Oregon 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: 15-30 days
• Local/County: Not Offered

Manually - Fingerprint Card

• State: 31-60 days
• Local/County: Not Offered