SERVICE

One or more organization-operated programs or activities that have a common general objective and deploy the organization's material and human resources in a planned and systematic manner. An organization that publicly promotes or identifies itself in writing as offering a service, is licensed to deliver a service, assigns personnel and/or space to a service, or allocates financial resources to a service is considered to offer that service.		  
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  FAMILY

Two or more people who consider themselves family and who assume obligations, functions, and responsibilities generally essential to healthy family life. Child care and child socialization, income support, long-term care, and other caregiving are among the functions of family life. The definition of "family" will rest with an individual's indication of who plays a family member role, including current or former foster family, adoptive family, extended family members, fictive kin, or significant others. Organizations that believe family is the central constellation in a child's life, and that family attachments are of primary importance for human development, will strive to work with professional staff to develop a common understanding of "family."		  
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  PRACTICE

Established actions or ways of proceeding in the regular performance of organizational duties. Policies and procedures often guide practice.		  
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  PARENTS

Parents can include: birth, foster, kinship, and adoptive parents. Please see service standards for more specific information about use of this term. 		 
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  PROGRAM

A system of services offered by an organization. For example, an organization providing a mental health service may offer several mental health programs to different populations, e.g., a mental health program for adolescent teens. The word "program" can be used interchangeably with the word "service" or to describe specific programs.		  
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  POLICY

A written statement of principles, values, or intent that provides a basis for consistent decision making and guides the actions of staff, management, and board of trustees. A policy is intentionally broad in its language and application. The following is an example of an anti-discrimination policy:

"[Organization Name] shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, hiring and firing of staff, selection of volunteers, selection of vendors, and provision of services."

In contrast, a procedure is a detailed, step-by-step description of a process. It tells the reader how to do something. Generally, policies are implemented through procedures. For example, the above anti-discrimination policy would require a detailed grievance procedure in order to operationalize it within an organization.

The governing body has the fiduciary responsibility for setting organizational policy. Therefore, policies must be approved and periodically reviewed by the organization's governing body. However, the governing body typically delegates (via policy) the responsibility for policy development to management. In owner-operated for-profit companies, the owner can act as the company's governing body, depending on the company's corporate structure.

In a public agency the responsibility for setting and reviewing policies may belong to the agency's management team, elected officials, another governmental agency, or as is often the case, a combination of the above.

  
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  GOVERNING BODY

A person or persons with the legal authority and responsibility to set policy and oversee the operations of an organization. Generally, the governing body is a group, such as a board of directors or board of trustees. While the exact responsibilities of the governing body depend on the nature and character of the organization, the governing body has minimum fiduciary responsibilities to the organization set by statute, regulation, and case law, and typically assume responsibilities for long term planning, risk management, and evaluation and effectiveness of management.		  
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  PERSONNEL

The body of employees and/or volunteers that carries out the organization's tasks under the organization's administration and/or supervision. This definition does not include foster parents who are specifically referenced in relevant standards		  
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  INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR

An independently employed individual who contracts with an organization to do a piece of work according to his/her own methods and is subject to an employer's control only as to end product or final result of the work, not as to the means whereby it is to be accomplished.		  
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  PROTOCOLS

Instruments and procedures used to accomplish a particular goal, activity, or purpose.		  
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  CONFLICT OF INTEREST

A conflict between an individual self-interest and the public good. Example: an organization that operates a day treatment program awards a food services contract to a local restaurant that is owned by a governing body member. From a legal standpoint, "conflict of interest" is a term used in connection with fiduciaries and their relationship to matters of private interest or gain to them. When used to suggest disqualification of a fiduciary from performing his or her sworn duty, the term refers to a clash between public interest and private pecuniary interest of the concerned individual.		  
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  REFERRALS

Resource suggestions provided to consumers to address problems or needs that are beyond the scope of the organization's mission.		  
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  CONTRACT

A formal written agreement between two or more parties that specifies the services, space, or products to be provided in exchange for some form of compensation. Also known as "purchase of service arrangement."		  
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  QUALITY

In this context, the extent to which contemporary and generally recognized standards for professional practice are met and exceeded, and desirable service outcomes achieved.		  
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Intercountry Adoption Services
  
Private Org Public Agency  

ICA 9: Ethical Administrative Practice

 
Administrative practices are ethical and professional and respect the rights of all parties involved in the adoption.

ICA 9.01

 
Fees are fair, reasonable, and based solely on the cost of services and expenses incurred, and parents are charged only for services provided.
Interpretation: Practices are developing to protect the interests of prospective adoptive parents if the organization closes the adoption program. One example of such a practice is to place funds collected prior to the delivery of a service in a separate account, and provide an accounting of disbursements to parents.
NA The organization does not charge fees.

ICA 9.02

 

When reviewing and approving the organization’s adoption fee policy, the governing body considers ethical issues associated with charging adoption fees, including:

  1. the influence fees could have on decision-making about child relinquishment and matching;
  2. the possibility that children awaiting adoption could be inappropriately treated as a commodity; and
  3. the psychological impact fees could have on birth parents, adoptive parents, and adopted individuals.
NA The organization does not charge fees for adoption services, or the organization charges fees only for homestudies.

ICA 9.03

 
The organization, its personnel, and independent contractors do not accept or provide financial or other consideration beyond reimbursement for services during the period between application and finalization of the adoption.
Interpretation: The organization must demonstrate thoughtfully developed, fully implemented policies that ensure professional decision-making is separate from financial considerations, and all actions have a sound ethical and professional basis. Contributions for child sponsorship can be allowed under this policy if the organization has protocols to protect against conflict of interest. Prospective adoptive parents interested in making donations can be advised to do so after the adoption has been finalized. When an applicant has a donation history prior to applying for adoption, the organization works with them to plan for how they may make any additional donations after the adoption has been finalized.

ICA 9.04

 
The organization does not provide actual or promised payment or other consideration for referrals.

ICA 9.05

 

When the organization collaborates with other organizations or individuals to deliver services:

  1. those providers are licensed or appropriately credentialed, according to applicable regulations;
  2. service contracts or agreements are written;
  3. prospective adoptive parents are made aware of the relationship between providers; and
  4. the quality of services provided is monitored.
NA The organization does not collaborate with other providers.
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PURPOSE: Intercountry Adoption Services establish a permanent family for children who cannot be cared for or adopted in their country of origin and increase the well-being of adopted individuals and adoptive families.
 
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