Section 7901.1 Of Part 5. Interstate Compact On Placement Of Children From California Family Law Code >> Division 12. >> Part 5.
7901.1
. (a) Within 60 days of receipt of a request from another
state to conduct a study of a home environment for purposes of
assessing the safety and suitability of placing a child in the home,
a county child welfare agency shall, directly or by contract, do both
of the following:
(1) Conduct and complete the study.
(2) Return a report to the requesting state on the results of the
study. The report shall address the extent to which placement in the
home would meet the needs of the child.
(b) Except as provided in subdivision (c), in the case of a home
study commenced on or before September 30, 2008, if the agency fails
to comply with subdivision (a) within the 60-day period as a result
of circumstances beyond the control of the agency, the agency shall
have 75 days to comply with subdivision (a). The agency shall
document the circumstances involved and certify that completing the
home study is in the best interests of the child. For purposes of
this subdivision, "circumstances beyond the control of the agency"
include, but are not limited to, the failure of a federal agency to
provide the results of a background check or the failure of any
entity to provide completed medical forms, if the background check or
records were requested by the agency at least 45 days before the end
of the 60-day period.
(c) Subdivision (b) shall not be construed to require the agency
to have completed, within the applicable period, the parts of the
home study involving the education and training of the prospective
foster or adoptive parents.
(d) The agency shall treat any report described in subdivision (a)
that is received from another state, an Indian tribe, or a private
agency under contract with another state, as meeting any requirements
imposed by the state for the completion of a home study before
placing a child in the home, unless, within 14 days after receipt of
the report, the agency determines, based on grounds that are specific
to the content of the report, that making a decision in reliance on
the report would be contrary to the welfare of the child.
(e) A county is not restricted from contracting with a private
agency for the conduct of a home study described in subdivision (a).
(f) The department shall work with counties to identify barriers
to meeting the timeframes specified in this section and to develop
recommendations to reduce or eliminate those barriers.