4.19 Inter-Ethnic Placement Act

The Inter-Ethnic Placement Act (IEPA) allows for an individual and specific evaluation of the child's racial acculturation. This along with the child's ethnic and religious acculturation are important in order to anticipate the impact of these factors on the child's social and emotional development. The child's placement shall not be delayed or denied on the basis of race in accordance with the IEPA.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has affirmed four critical elements of the IEPA. The elements are:

• Delays in placing children who need adoptive or foster homes are not to be tolerated, nor are denials based on any prohibited or otherwise inappropriate consideration;
• Discrimination is not to be tolerated, whether it is directed toward adults who wish to serve as foster or adoptive parents, toward children who need safe and appropriate homes, or toward communities or populations which may heretofore have been under-utilized as a resource for placing children;
• Active, diligent and lawful recruitment of potential foster and adoptive parents of all backgrounds is both a legal requirement and an important tool for meeting the demands of good practice; and
• The operative standard in foster care and adoptive placements has been and continues to be the best interest of the child.

Nevertheless, any consideration of race, color or national origin in foster or adoptive placements must be narrowly tailored to advance the child's best interests and must be made as an individualized determination of each child's needs is light of a specific prospective adoptive or foster parent's capacity for that child. (Reprinted from the federal Information Memorandum entitled, "Guidance for Federal Legislation," published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, June 6, 1997.)

The CPSW is to document efforts to prepare the child and family for the protective custody. Additionally efforts to engage the caretakers to secure possible family resources must be recorded on the CHILD ABUSE/NEGLECT INTERVIEW NOTES (CANTS 17-A).

The following items or information regarding each child shall be secured and documented:

• Current medical conditions and allergies including any medication the child may be taking. Information regarding the physician's name, telephone number and address is also to be recorded. Any medication should accompany the child to the initial physical examination for discussion with and notification to the doctor completing the encounter form;
• Religious preference;
• Immunization record if available;
• School information;
• Weather appropriate clothing;
• Child's routine (e.g., nap schedule, television programs)
• The child's favorite toys and pictures of family members

NOTE: For obvious clinical reasons under no circumstances should a worker transport a child's belongings in a garbage/trash bag.

When Protective Custody is taken by a physician or law enforcement (including Dependency), then the criteria for maintaining the custody or allowing the protective custody to lapse must be followed according to the Protective Custody Protocol.

Additional information can be located in Procedure 300 Appendix F, Guidelines for Minimizing the Effects of Separation and Loss in Substitute Care.