(1) REPORT TO THE COURT.–The adoption entity must report any intended placement of a minor for adoption with any person who is not a relative or a stepparent if the adoption entity participates in the intended placement. The report must be made to the court before the minor is placed in the home or within 2 business days thereafter.
(2) AT-RISK PLACEMENT.–If the minor is placed in the prospective adoptive home before the parental rights of the minor’s parents are terminated under s. 63.089, the placement is an at-risk placement. If the placement is an at-risk placement, the prospective adoptive parents must acknowledge in writing before the minor may be placed in the prospective adoptive home that the placement is at risk. The prospective adoptive parents shall be advised by the adoption entity, in writing, that the minor is subject to removal from the prospective adoptive home by the adoption entity or by court order at any time prior to the finalization of the adoption.
(3) PRELIMINARY HOME STUDY.–Before placing the minor in the intended adoptive home, a preliminary home study must be performed by a licensed child-placing agency, a child-caring agency registered under s. 409.176, a licensed professional, or an agency described in s. 61.20(2), unless the adoptee is an adult or the petitioner is a stepparent or a relative. If the adoptee is an adult or the petitioner is a stepparent or a relative, a preliminary home study may be required by the court for good cause shown. The department is required to perform the preliminary home study only if there is no licensed child-placing agency, child-caring agency registered under s. 409.176, licensed professional, or agency described in s. 61.20(2), in the county where the prospective adoptive parents reside. The preliminary home study must be made to determine the suitability of the intended adoptive parents and may be completed before identification of a prospective adoptive minor. If the identified prospective adoptive minor is in the custody of the department, a preliminary home study must be completed within 30 days after it is initiated. A favorable preliminary home study is valid for 1 year after the date of its completion. Upon its completion, a signed copy of the home study must be provided to the intended adoptive parents who were the subject of the home study. A minor may not be placed in an intended adoptive home before a favorable preliminary home study is completed unless the adoptive home is also a licensed foster home under s. 409.175. The preliminary home study must include, at a minimum:

(a) An interview with the intended adoptive parents.

Terms Used In Florida Statutes 63.092

  • Adoption: means the act of creating the legal relationship between parent and child where it did not exist, thereby declaring the child to be legally the child of the adoptive parents and their heir at law and entitled to all the rights and privileges and subject to all the obligations of a child born to such adoptive parents in lawful wedlock. See Florida Statutes 63.032
  • Adoption entity: means the department, a child-caring agency registered under…. See Florida Statutes 63.032
  • Adult: means a person who is not a minor. See Florida Statutes 63.032
  • Agency: means any child-placing agency licensed by the department pursuant to…. See Florida Statutes 63.032
  • Court: means a circuit court of this state and, if the context requires, the court of any state that is empowered to grant petitions for adoption. See Florida Statutes 63.032
  • Department: means the Department of Children and Families. See Florida Statutes 63.032
  • minor: includes any person who has not attained the age of 18 years. See Florida Statutes 1.01
  • Person: includes a natural person, corporation, government or governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, or association, and any other legal entity. See Florida Statutes 63.032
  • Placement: means the process of a parent or legal guardian surrendering a child for adoption and the prospective adoptive parents receiving and adopting the child and all actions by any adoption entity participating in placing the child. See Florida Statutes 63.032
  • Relative: means a person related by blood to the person being adopted within the third degree of consanguinity. See Florida Statutes 63.032
  • writing: includes handwriting, printing, typewriting, and all other methods and means of forming letters and characters upon paper, stone, wood, or other materials. See Florida Statutes 1.01
(b) Records checks of the department’s central abuse registry, which the department shall provide to the entity conducting the preliminary home study, and criminal records correspondence checks under s. 39.0138 through the Department of Law Enforcement on the intended adoptive parents.
(c) An assessment of the physical environment of the home.
(d) A determination of the financial security of the intended adoptive parents.
(e) Documentation of counseling and education of the intended adoptive parents on adoptive parenting, as determined by the entity conducting the preliminary home study. The training specified in s. 409.175(14) shall only be required for persons who adopt children from the department.
(f) Documentation that information on adoption and the adoption process has been provided to the intended adoptive parents.
(g) Documentation that information on support services available in the community has been provided to the intended adoptive parents.
(h) A copy of each signed acknowledgment of receipt of disclosure required by s. 63.085.

If the preliminary home study is favorable, a minor may be placed in the home pending entry of the judgment of adoption. A minor may not be placed in the home if the preliminary home study is unfavorable. If the preliminary home study is unfavorable, the adoption entity may, within 20 days after receipt of a copy of the written recommendation, petition the court to determine the suitability of the intended adoptive home. A determination as to suitability under this subsection does not act as a presumption of suitability at the final hearing. In determining the suitability of the intended adoptive home, the court must consider the totality of the circumstances in the home. A minor may not be placed in a home in which there resides any person determined by the court to be a sexual predator as defined in s. 775.21 or to have been convicted of an offense listed in s. 63.089(4)(b)2.

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