1. a. A preplacement investigation shall be directed to and a report of this investigation
shall answer the following:
(1)Whether the home of the prospective adoption petitioner is a suitable one for the
placement of a minor person to be adopted.
(2)How the prospective adoption petitioner’s emotional maturity, finances, health,
relationships, and any other relevant factor may affect the petitioner’s ability to accept, care,
and provide a minor person to be adopted with an adequate environment as that person
matures.
(3)Whether the prospective adoption petitioner has been convicted of a crime under a
law of any state or has a record of founded child abuse. The preplacement investigation and
report shall include an examination of the criminal and child abuse records of the prospective
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1. a. A preplacement investigation shall be directed to and a report of this investigation
shall answer the following:
(1) Whether the home of the prospective adoption petitioner is a suitable one for the
placement of a minor person to be adopted.
(2) How the prospective adoption petitioner’s emotional maturity, finances, health,
relationships, and any other relevant factor may affect the petitioner’s ability to accept, care,
and provide a minor person to be adopted with an adequate environment as that person
matures.
(3) Whether the prospective adoption petitioner has been convicted of a crime under a
law of any state or has a record of founded child abuse. The preplacement investigation and
report shall include an examination of the criminal and child abuse records of the prospective
adoption petitioner including all of the following:
(a) Criminal, child abuse, and sex offender registries maintained by the state.
(b) Childabuseregistriesmaintainedbyanyotherstateinwhichtheprospectiveadoption
petitioner has resided during the five years prior to the issuance of the preplacement
investigation report.
(c) National biometric identification-based criminal records. For the purposes
of international adoption preplacement investigations, the national biometric
identification-based criminal record check results obtained pursuant to the standards of
the United States department of homeland security shall satisfy the requirement of this
subparagraph division.
(4) Whether the minor person to be adopted was the subject of a termination of parental
rights proceeding pursuant to chapter 232, whether there are siblings not placed with
the minor person to be adopted, and whether, if there are siblings, there is an ongoing
relationship between the siblings and the minor child to be adopted or a court order finding
contact between the siblings is in the best interest of each sibling.
b. A postplacement investigation and a report of this investigation shall:
(1) Consist of no fewer than three face-to-face visits with the minor person to be adopted
and the adoption petitioner to be conducted within thirty days, ninety days, and one hundred
eighty days following the placement and during completion of the minimum residence period
specified in section 600.10.
(2) Verify the allegations of the adoption petition and its attachments and of the report of
expenditures required under section 600.9.
(3) Evaluate the progress of the placement of the minor person to be adopted.
(4) Determine whether adoption by the adoption petitioner may be in the best interests of
the minor person to be adopted.
(5) Include documentation verifying that any unique needs of the minor person to be
adopted are being appropriately met in the placement before the investigator recommends
finalization of the adoption.
c. (1) A background information investigation of the medical and social history of the
biological parents of the minor person to be adopted and a report of the investigation shall be
made by the adoption service provider, the department, or a certified adoption investigator
prior to the placement of the minor person to be adopted with any prospective adoption
petitioner.
(2) The background information investigation and report shall not disclose the identity of
the biological parents of the minor person to be adopted.
(3) The completed report shall be filed with the court prior to the holding of the adoption
hearing prescribed in section 600.12.
(4) The report shall be in substantial conformance with the prescribed medical and
social history forms designed by the department pursuant to section 600A.4, subsection 2,
paragraph “g”.
(5) A copy of the background information investigation report shall be furnished to the
prospective adoption petitioner prior to placement of the minor person to be adopted with
the prospective adoption petitioner.
(6) Any person, including a juvenile court, who has gained relevant background
information concerning a minor person subject to an adoption petition shall, upon request,
fully cooperate with the conducting of a background information investigation by disclosing
any relevant background information, whether contained in sealed records or not.
2. a. (1) A preplacement investigation and report of the investigation shall be completed
and the prospective adoption petitioner approved for a placement by the person making the
investigation prior to any adoption service provider or department placement of a minor
person in the petitioner’s home in anticipation of an ensuing adoption.
(2) A report of a preplacement investigation that has approved a prospective adoption
petitioner for a placement shall not authorize placement of a minor person with that
petitioner after two years from the date of the report’s issuance. However, if the prospective
adoption petitioner is described by subsection 12, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (1) or (2),
and has assumed custody of a minor person to be adopted, a preplacement investigation of
this petitioner and a report of the investigation may be completed at a time established by
the juvenile court or court or may be waived as provided in subsection 12.
b. (1) The person making the investigation shall not approve a prospective adoption
petitioner pursuant to subsection 1, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (3), and an evaluation
shall not be performed under subparagraph (2), if the petitioner has been convicted of any
of the following felony offenses:
(a) Within the five-year period preceding the petition date, a drug-related offense.
(b) Child endangerment or neglect or abandonment of a dependent person.
(c) Domestic abuse.
(d) A crime against a child, including but not limited to sexual exploitation of a minor.
(e) A forcible felony.
(2) The person making the investigation shall not approve a prospective adoption
petitioner pursuant to subsection 1, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (3), unless an evaluation
has been made which considers the nature and seriousness of the crime or founded abuse
in relation to the adoption, the time elapsed since the commission of the crime or founded
abuse, the circumstances under which the crime or founded abuse was committed, the
degree of rehabilitation, and the number of crimes or founded abuse committed by the
person involved.
c. If the person making the investigation does not approve a prospective adoption
petitioner under paragraph “a” of this subsection, the person investigated may appeal the
disapproval as a contested case to the director of health and human services. Judicial review
of any adverse decision by the director may be sought pursuant to chapter 17A.
3. The department, an agency, or a certified adoption investigator shall conduct all
investigations and reports required under subsection 2.
4. A postplacement investigation and the report of the investigation shall be completed
and filed with the juvenile court or court prior to the holding of the adoption hearing
prescribed in section 600.12. Upon the filing of an adoption petition pursuant to section
600.5, the juvenile court or court shall immediately appoint the department, an agency,
or a certified adoption investigator to conduct and complete the postplacement report.
Any person who has gained relevant background information concerning a minor person
subject to an adoption petition shall, upon request, fully cooperate with the conducting of
the postplacement investigation by disclosing any relevant information requested, whether
contained in sealed records or not.
5. Any person conducting an investigation under subsection 1, paragraph “c”, subsection
3, orsubsection4, may, intheinvestigationorsubsequentreport, include, utilize, orrelyupon
any reports, studies, or examinations to the extent they are relevant.
6. Any person conducting an investigation under subsection 1, paragraph “c”, subsection
3, or subsection 4, may charge a fee which does not exceed the reasonable cost of the services
rendered and which is based on a sliding scale schedule relating to the investigated person’s
ability to pay.
7. a. An investigation or report shall not be required under this section in any of the
following circumstances:
(1) The person to be adopted is an adult.
(2) Theprospectiveadoptionpetitioneroradoptionpetitionerisastepparentoftheperson
to be adopted. However, in the case of a stepparent adoption, the juvenile court or court,
upon the request of an interested person or on its own motion stating the reasons therefor of
record, may order an investigation or report pursuant to this section.
b. If an adoption petitioner discloses a criminal conviction or deferred judgment for an
offense, other than a simple misdemeanor, or founded child abuse report pursuant to section
600.5, the petitioner shall notify the court of the inclusion of this information in the petition
prior to the final adoption hearing, and the court shall make a specific ruling regarding
whether to waive any investigation or report required under subsection 1.
8. Any person designated to make an investigation and report under this section may
request an agency, certified adoption investigator, or state agency, within or outside this state,
to conduct a portion of the investigation or the report, as may be appropriate, and to file
a supplemental report of such investigation or report with the juvenile court or court. In
the case of the adoption of a minor person by a person domiciled or residing in any other
jurisdictionoftheUnitedStates, anyinvestigationorreportrequiredunderthissectionwhich
has been conducted pursuant to the standards of that other jurisdiction shall be recognized
in this state.
9. The department may investigate, on its own initiative or on order of the juvenile court,
any placement made or adoption petition filed under this chapter or chapter 600A and may
report its resulting recommendation to the juvenile court.
10. The department, an agency, or a certified adoption investigator may conduct
any investigations required for an interstate or interagency placement. Any interstate
investigations or placements shall follow the procedures and regulations under the interstate
compact on the placement of children. Such investigations and placements shall be in
compliance with the laws of the states involved.
11. Any person who assists in or impedes the placement or adoption of a minor person
in violation of the provisions of this section shall be, upon conviction, guilty of a simple
misdemeanor.
12. a. A juvenile court or court may waive an investigation and report required under
subsection 1 in any of the following circumstances:
(1) The adoption petitioner is related within the fourth degree of consanguinity to the
person to be adopted.
(2) The adoption petitioner meets all of the following requirements:
(a) The adoption petitioner is the current legal guardian for the person to be adopted.
(b) The adoption petitioner has been the legal guardian for the person to be adopted for
the thirty-six consecutive months immediately preceding the date the adoption petition is
filed.
(c) The adoption petitioner has complied with section 232D.402 for the thirty-six
consecutive months immediately preceding the date the adoption petition is filed.
b. Notwithstanding paragraph “a”, if an adoption petitioner discloses a criminal
conviction or deferred judgment for an offense, other than a simple misdemeanor, or
founded child abuse report pursuant to section 600.5, the petitioner shall notify the court of
the inclusion of this information in the petition prior to the final adoption hearing and the
court shall make a specific ruling regarding whether to waive any investigation or report
required under subsection 1.