North Carolina § 48-1-109 - Which agencies may prepare assessments and reports to the court.

§ 48-1-109. Which agencies may prepare assessments and reports to the court.

Except as authorized in subsections (b) and (c) of this section, only a county department of social services in this State or an agency licensed by the Department may prepare preplacement assessments pursuant to Article 3 of this Chapter or reports to the court pursuant to Article 2 of this Chapter. A preplacement assessment prepared in another state may be used in this State only if: The prospective adoptive parent resided in the state where it was prepared; and The person or entity that prepared it was authorized by the law of that state to gather the necessary information. An order for a report to the court must be sent to a county department of social services in this State, an agency licensed by the Department, or a person or entity authorized to prepare home assessments for the purpose of adoption proceedings under the laws of the petitioner's state of residence. If the petitioner moves to a different state before the agency completes the report, the agency shall request a report from a person or entity authorized to prepare home assessments for the purpose of adoption proceedings under the laws of the petitioner's new state residence. An assessment prepared in another state that does not meet the requirements of this section and G.S. 48-3-303(c) through (h) must be updated by a county department of social services in this State, an agency licensed by the Department, or a person or entity authorized to gather the necessary information pursuant to the laws of the state where the prospective adoptive parent resides before being used in this State. History (1949, c. 300; 1961, c. 186; 1969, c. 982; 1973, c. 476, s. 138; 1983, c. 454, s. 5; 1991, c. 335, s. 2; 1995, c. 457, s. 2; 1998-202, s. 13(h); 2009-185, s. 1; 2015-54, s. 2.) Effect of Amendments. - Session Laws 2009-185, s. 1, effective June 26, 2009, in subsection (b), inserted "or a person or entity authorized to gather the necessary information pursuant to the laws of the state where the prospective adoptive parent resides" and made related stylistic and punctuation changes in the second paragraph; and in subsection (c), inserted "or a person or entity authorized to prepare home assessments for the purpose of adoption proceedings under the laws of the petitioner's state of residence" and made related stylistic and punctuation changes in the first sentence, and rewrote the last sentence. Session Laws 2015-54, s. 2, effective June 4, 2015, deleted "pursuant to the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children under Article 38 of Chapter 7B of the General Statutes" following "request a report" in the second sentence of subsection (c).