Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC)
The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) is a statutory agreement between all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands. The agreement governs the placement of children from one state into another state. It sets forth the requirements that must be met before a child can be placed out of state. The Compact ensures prospective placements are safe and suitable before approval, and it ensures that the individual or entity placing the child remains legally and financially responsible for the child following placement.
Applicability
The ICPC governs the following types of placements:
- The placement of a child in the care or custody of a state public child welfare agency with a relative family, a foster family or an adoptive family in another state.
- The placement of a child by any individual or entity into another state if the placement is for the purpose of adoption. The child’s placement with the relative or fictive kin must have been approved by the court.
- The placement of a child by any individual or entity into a licensed residential treatment center located in another state.
- Under certain circumstances, the placement of a child with the child’s parent or parents located in another state.
The ICPC does not govern the following types of placements:
- The placement of a child by the child’s parent, step-parent, grandparent, adult sibling, adult uncle, adult aunt or legal guardian with any such relative or guardian located in another state.
- The placement of a child into a medical facility, a psychiatric institution or a boarding school located in another state. states. The placement of a child by any individual or entity into a licensed residential treatment center located in another state.