Maine § 22 §8205 Collection and disclosure of information about a child's background

Maine Statutes

§ 22 §8205 — Collection and disclosure of information about a child's background

Maine § 22 §8205

Title 22HEALTH AND WELFARE

Part 3DRUG ABUSE

Ch. 1671CHILD PLACING AGENCY

This text of Maine § 22 §8205 (Collection and disclosure of information about a child's background) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Maine primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 22, § 22 §8205 (2026).

Text

This section governs the collection and disclosure of information about the child's background.

1.Information to be collected. The licensed child placing agency shall obtain medical and genetic information on the birth parents and the child. Specifically, the licensed child placing agency shall attempt to obtain:

2.Disclosure before placement. Prior to the child being placed for the purpose of adoption, the licensed child placing agency shall provide the information described in subsection 1 to the prospective adoptive parents.

3.Specific reasons for concern. If the licensed child placing agency has specific, articulable reasons to question the truth or accuracy of any of the information obtained, those reasons must be disclosed in writing to the prospective adoptive parents.

4.Notice

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This section governs the collection and disclosure of information about the child's background.
1.
Information to be collected.
The licensed child placing agency shall obtain medical and genetic information on the birth parents and the child. Specifically, the licensed child placing agency shall attempt to obtain:
2.
Disclosure before placement.
Prior to the child being placed for the purpose of adoption, the licensed child placing agency shall provide the information described in subsection 1 to the prospective adoptive parents.
3.
Specific reasons for concern.
If the licensed child placing agency has specific, articulable reasons to question the truth or accuracy of any of the information obtained, those reasons must be disclosed in writing to the prospective adoptive parents.
4.
Notice that information unavailable.
The prospective adoptive parents must be informed in writing if any of the information described in subsection 2 can not be obtained, either because the records are unavailable or because the birth parents are unable or unwilling to consent to its disclosure or to be interviewed.
5.
Request for additional information.
If, after a child is placed for adoption and either before or after the adoption is final, the child suffers a serious medical or mental illness for which the specific medical, psychological or social history of the birth parents or the child may be useful in diagnosing or treating such illness, the prospective adoptive or adoptive parents may request the child placing agency to attempt to obtain additional information. The child placing agency shall attempt to obtain the information promptly and shall disclose any information collected to the prospective adoptive or adoptive parents as soon as reasonably possible. The licensed child placing agency may charge a fee to the prospective adoptive or adoptive parents to cover the cost of obtaining and providing the additional information. Fees collected by the department must be dedicated to defray the costs of obtaining and providing the additional information. Fees may be reduced or waived for low-income prospective adoptive or adoptive parents.
6.
International adoptions.
If the child to be placed for adoption is from a foreign country that has jurisdiction over the child and the prospective adoptive parents are United States citizens, compliance with federal and international adoption laws is deemed to be compliance with this section.