(A) Prior to and at the time the department places a child with a prospective adoptive parent for purposes of adoption, the department shall disclose to the prospective adoptive parent all information known by the person making the placement or reasonably accessible to the person making the placement that is necessary to provide adequate care and supervision for the child and to protect the health and safety of the child and the prospective adoptive parent’s family. The information that must be disclosed to the prospective adoptive parent pursuant to this section includes, but is not limited to, medical and mental health conditions and history of the child, the nature of abuse or neglect to which the child has been subjected, behavioral strengths and challenges, and matters related to the child’s educational needs. If the department does not have this information at the time of making the placement, a member of the child’s casework team or the child’s caseworker shall contact the prospective adoptive parent and provide the information known to the casework team or reasonably accessible during the first working day following the placement. The child’s caseworker shall research the child’s record and shall supplement the information provided to the prospective adoptive parent no later than the end of the first week of placement if additional information is found. When the child’s caseworker acquires new information which is likely to affect either the ability of the prospective adoptive parent to provide adequate care and supervision for the child or is likely to place the health and safety of the child or the prospective adoptive parent’s family at risk, the department shall disclose that information to the prospective adoptive parent. The obligation to provide this information continues until the adoption is finalized.

(B)(1) In addition to the information disclosed to the prospective adoptive parent in subsection (A), a medical history of the adoptee‘s biological parents also shall be disclosed if the biological parents elected to provide that information as provided in item (2).

Terms Used In South Carolina Code 63-9-80

  • Adoptee: means a person who is proposed to be or who has been legally adopted. See South Carolina Code 63-9-30
  • Adoption: means the judicial act of creating the relationship of parent and child where it did not exist previously. See South Carolina Code 63-9-30
  • Adoptive parent: means an adult who has become a parent of a child through the legal process of adoption. See South Carolina Code 63-9-30
  • Child: means any person under eighteen years of age. See South Carolina Code 63-9-30
  • Consent: means the informed and voluntary release in writing of all parental rights with respect to a child by a parent for the purpose of adoption, or the informed and voluntary release in writing of all custodial or guardianship rights, or both, with respect to a child by the child placing agency or person facilitating the placement of the child for adoption where the child's parent previously has executed a relinquishment to that agency or person. See South Carolina Code 63-9-30
  • Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
  • Parent: means biological parent, adoptive parents, step-parent, or person with legal custody. See South Carolina Code 63-1-40
  • Relinquishment: means the informed and voluntary release in writing of all parental rights with respect to a child by a parent to a child placing agency or to a person who facilitates the placement of a child for the purpose of adoption and to whom the parent has given the right to consent to the adoption of the child. See South Carolina Code 63-9-30

(2) At the time that consent or relinquishment for the purpose of adoption is given by a person required to do so pursuant to § 63-9-310(A)(2)-(5), the person giving consent or relinquishment may provide a medical history of the adoptee’s biological parents. The medical history must be in a form that does not disclose any personally identifiable information of the biological parents.

(3) If a medical history is disclosed pursuant to item (1), then the medical history may be disclosed to the adoptee upon reaching the age of majority or under circumstances prior to the adoptee reaching the age of majority for good cause shown."

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