260C.611 ADOPTION STUDY REQUIRED.

(a) An adoption study under section 259.41 approving placement of the child in the home of the prospective adoptive parent must be completed before placing any child under the guardianship of the commissioner in a home for adoption. If a prospective adoptive parent has a current child foster care license under chapter 142B and is seeking to adopt a foster child who is placed in the prospective adoptive parent's home and is under the guardianship of the commissioner according to section 260C.325, subdivision 1, the child foster care home study meets the requirements of this section for an approved adoption home study if:

(1) the written home study on which the foster care license was based is completed in the commissioner's designated format, consistent with the requirements in sections 259.41, subdivision 2; and 260C.215, subdivision 4, clause (5); and Minnesota Rules, part 2960.3060, subpart 4;

(2) the background studies on each prospective adoptive parent and all required household members were completed according to section 245C.33;

(3) the commissioner has not issued a sanction on the license under section 142B.18 or an order of a conditional license under section 142B.16 within the last three years, or the commissioner has determined it to be in the child's best interests to allow the child foster care home study to meet requirements of an approved adoption home study upon review of the legally responsible agency's adoptive placement decision; and

(4) the legally responsible agency determines that the individual needs of the child are being met by the prospective adoptive parent through an assessment under section 142A.607, subdivision 2, or a documented placement decision consistent with section 260C.212, subdivision 2.

(b) If a prospective adoptive parent has previously held a foster care license or adoptive home study, any update necessary to the foster care license, or updated or new adoptive home study, if not completed by the licensing authority responsible for the previous license or home study, shall include collateral information from the previous licensing or approving agency, if available.