Interstate Compact on Placement of Children (ICPC)

The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) was originally enacted to monitor children being moved from state to state by the courts, most commonly for foster care purposes. In the early years, ICPC was put in place to ensure that there was someone or some entity financially responsible for the child in the receiving state (the state to which the child was moving, the state of residence of the adoptive parents) and also in the sending state (the state from which the child was moving, the child's state of birth).

More recently and in adoption matters, ICPC provides a defined and transparent process for both states to follow (the sending and the receiving state) to ensure the adoptive placement of a child complies with the laws of both states. A child whose adoption falls within the requirements of ICPC may not travel from the sending state to the receiving state until the requirements of ICPC have been met. This may mean that the adoptive parents must stay with the child in the sending state for several days, or sometimes weeks, before returning home with their new baby.

In most ICPC cases, it is essential to involve an attorney in both states with experience in ICPC cases. All AAAA Fellows are required to have completed 10 ICPC cases before they can even be considered for membership.