In the fall of 2024, the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) mailed letters to parents who once had an open dependency and/or severance case.
Did you receive a letter? Visit the DCS letter page for more information.
Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC)
The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children was established in 1960 to ensure that children are safe and have stability when adopted from one state to another. The process for adopting a child from another state is quite similar to adopting a child within Arizona, but cannot be done without the involvement of a licensed adoption agency.
Important Things to Know:
- Identify and contact an adoption agency that deals with interstate adoptions
- You must then obtain a home study and a background check just as if you were adopting any other child
- Familiarize yourself with the state statutes in Arizona. You need to comply with the adoption laws in both states
- You can find the laws of multiple states through the Child Welfare Information Gateway
- When moving the child from one state to another the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) is enacted
- It is required that the adopting family abide by the law from which you are adopting
Related Resources:
Arizona Adoption Assistance
State Statute - Title 8, Chapter 1
Guide to the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children
National Foster Care & Adoption Directory
Child Welfare Information Gateway