Statewide adoption exchange; establishment; responsibilities; registration requirements; rules.

(1) The Department of Children and Families shall establish, either directly or through purchase, a statewide adoption exchange, with a photo listing component, which serves all authorized licensed child-placing agencies in the state as a means of recruiting adoptive families for children who have been legally freed for adoption and who have been permanently placed with the department or a licensed child-placing agency. The statewide adoption exchange must provide, in accordance with rules adopted by the department, a description and photo listing component of each child, as well as any other information deemed useful in the recruitment of adoptive families for each child. The photo listing component of the statewide adoption exchange must be updated monthly and may not be accessible to the public, except to persons who have completed or are in the process of completing an adoption home study.

(2)(a) Each district of the department shall refer each child in its care who has been legally freed for adoption to the statewide adoption exchange no later than 30 days after the date of acceptance by the department for permanent placement. The referral must be accompanied by a photo listing component and description of the child. Any child who is 12 years of age or older may request that a specific photo be used for that child’s photo listing component, and such child must be consulted during the development of his or her description.

(b) The department shall establish criteria by which a district may determine that a child need not be registered with the statewide adoption exchange. Within 30 days after the date of acceptance by the department for permanent placement, the name of the child accepted for permanent placement must be forwarded to the statewide adoption exchange by the district together with reference to the specific reason why the child should not be placed on the statewide adoption exchange. If the child has not been placed for adoption within 3 months after the date of acceptance by the department for permanent placement, the district must provide the statewide adoption exchange with the necessary photograph and information for registration of the child with the statewide adoption exchange and the child must be placed on the statewide adoption exchange. The department shall establish procedures for monitoring the status of children who are not placed on the statewide adoption exchange within 30 days after the date of acceptance by the department for permanent placement.

(3) In accordance with rules established by the department, the statewide adoption exchange may accept, from licensed child-placing agencies, information pertaining to children meeting the criteria of this section, and to prospective adoptive families, for registration with the statewide adoption exchange.

(4) For purposes of facilitating family-matching between children and prospective adoptive parents, the statewide adoption exchange must provide the photo listing component to all licensed child-placing agencies and, in accordance with rules adopted by the department, to all appropriate citizen groups and other organizations and associations interested in children’s services. The photo listing component of the statewide adoption exchange may not be accessible to the public, except to persons who have completed or are in the process of completing an adoption home study.

(5) Children who are registered with the statewide adoption exchange and for whom there is no available family resource shall be registered with existing regional and national adoption exchanges.

(6) The department shall adopt rules governing the operation of the statewide adoption exchange.