Explains the concerns that resulted in the adoption of the Multiethnic and Placement Act (MEPA), which was signed into law in October 1994 with amendments added in 1996, and current implementation activities. The primary purpose of MEPA was to decrease the waiting time for placement of children in qualified foster homes; to prevent discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin of the child or the parent; and to diligently recruit a large pool of foster and adoptive parents. In 1996, the Interethnic Adoption Provision (IEAP) ensured the states could not delay a child’s placement or deny parenting opportunity on the basis of the child’s or the parent’s race, color, or national origin. The Children’s Bureau of the Department of Health and Human Services focuses efforts on assisting states to implement the law through information sharing on the practices of active, diligent, and lawful recruitment of potential foster and adoptive parents of all backgrounds.
