What is the Adoption and Safe Families Act?

The Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) is a federal law that was enacted in 1997 to promote the safety, permanency, and well-being of children. It is intended to reduce the amount of time children spend in foster care and to ensure a safe and permanent home for every child. ASFA works by establishing a timeline for when states can move to permanently place children in adoptive homes, ensuring that children do not linger in the foster care system. It also encourages states to develop policies and practices that allow for quicker, permanent placement. This includes streamlining the adoption process, increasing the number of foster homes available, and providing financial assistance and other supports to adoptive families. ASFA also makes it easier for states to terminate the parental rights of those who are deemed unfit to care for their children, allowing states to more quickly move these children into adoptive homes or other types of permanent placements. Additionally, ASFA requires states to establish reasonable efforts to prevent the need to remove a child from their home, and to reunite families whenever possible. In West Virginia, ASFA is implemented through the Department of Health and Human Resources. The state has implemented a range of policies and procedures to ensure that all ASFA requirements are met and that children are as safe as possible. These include mandatory background checks for potential adoptive parents, home visits to ensure safety, and court reviews to ensure the best interests of the child are being considered when moving them into a permanent home.

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What is the Adoption and Safe Families Act?

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