Right Column
Federal Multiethnic Placement Act and Interethnic Adoption Provisions (MEPA-IEP)
The Multiethnic Placement Act (MEPA) and Interethnic Adoption Provisions (IEP) were implemented in the spirit of removing barriers to permanency for the vast number of children in the child welfare system, and to ensure that adoption and foster placements are not delayed or denied based on race, color or national origin. The purposes of MEPA-IEP are to:
- reduce the length of time that children wait to be adopted,
- facilitate the diligent recruitment and retention of foster and adoptive families, and
- eliminate discrimination on the basis of the race, color, or national origin of either the prospective parent or the child.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Federal Website: www.hhs.gov/ocr/mepa/
State Contact:
Concurrent Planning Policy Unit
Permanency Policy Bureau
Child & Youth Permanency Branch
California Department of Social Services
744 P Street, M/S 14-66
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 657-1858