Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 58 Part 1.djvu/214

 Placement -stric- SEC. 5. No person other than the parent, guardian, or relative tions. within the third degree, and no firm, corporation, association, or agency, other than a licensed child-placing agency, may place or arrange or assist in placing or arranging for the placement of a child under sixteen years of age in a family home or for adoption. In accordance with the rules and regulations promulgated hereunder, any licensed child-placing agency may accept children for placement in family homes and shall have and maintain care, custody, and con- trol of any such child until returned to the person from whom received or until responsibility for the child is transferred to another child-welfare agency or terminated by the order of a court of com- petent jurisdiction. pervsion of chl- Every such agency shall keep and maintain careful supervision of all children under its care, including those placed in family homes, and its officers or agents shall visit all such homes and families as often as may be necessary to promote the welfare of such child: Exception. Provided, That legally adopted children shall not be subject to such e cor ds. supervision and visitation, or other supervision or visitation. Every such agency shall keep such records as shall be required by the rules and regulations promulgated hereunder and all records regarding children and all facts learned about children and their parents or relatives shall be deemed confidential. adoptionetcestr Such agency shall in no case charge or receive from the person or tion. persons legally adopting any child any compensation whatsoever therefor; and in no case shall any person taking a child with the intention of adoption demand or receive from such agency any com- pensation whatsoever for the care of such child even though it shall be returned to the agency. Parental rightsof SEC. 6. Whenever a licensed child-placing agency shall have been agency when given permanent care. given the permanent care and guardianship of any child and the rights of the parent or parents of such child shall have been termi- nated by order of a court of competent jurisdiction or by a legally executed relinquishment of parental rights, the agency is vested with onsent to ado- parental rights and may consent to the adoption of the child pur- waiver of certain suant to the statutes regulating adoption procedure. In any such requirements. adoption proceeding filed in the District of Columbia, which is con- sented to by a child-placing agency licensed pursuant to this Act, the provisions of section 1 of the Act entitled "An Act to regulate proceedings in adoption in the District of Columbia", approved D.C.Code 16-201 August 25, 1937, as amended (50 Stat. 806) requiring the petition to state the name, age, race, occupation and address of the natural parents, and requiring the Board of Public Welfare to verify the allegations of the petition, make investigation, and report its find- paRetnqirshtent ings and recommendations to the Court, shall not apply. Except in striction. proceedings for adoption no parent may voluntarily assign or other- wise transfer to another his rights and duties with respect to the permanent care and control of a child under sixteen years of age unless such relinquishment of parental rights is made to a licensed tcoding of statemenet child-placing agency. Such relinquishment of parental rights shall be a statement in writing signed by the person relinquishing such parental rights who shall subscribe his name thereto and acknowledge the same before a representative of the licensed child-placing agency in the presence of at least one witness. Said relinquishment of parental rights shall be recorded and filed in a properly sealed file in the Office of the Clerk of the District Court of the United States for the District of Columbia. The seal of said file shall not be broken except for good cause shown and upon the written order of a justice of said court. [58 STAT. 194 PUBLIC LAWS--CH. 174-APR. 22, 1944

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