Adoption Notice: Adoption Service Provider Accreditation/Approval Relinquishment

Last Updated: July 31, 2017

The Council on Accreditation (COA) reports that Lutheran Social Services of New York in New York, NY, voluntarily relinquished their accreditation/approval on July 19, 2017.

Agencies that are not accredited or approved may not act as a primary provider but may perform services for intercountry adoption under the supervision of an accredited or approved adoption service provider so long as they meet the requirements of 22 CFR 96.35(a). When an agency or person’s accreditation or approval expires or is relinquished, the agency or person is responsible for executing their plan to transfer cases and records pursuant to 22 CFR 96.33(e) and 96.42(d). Families working with Lutheran Social Services of New York may wish to contact the agency directly with questions about case or record transfer. If the agency is not able to answer questions about case or record transfers, families may wish to review the information published by the Council on Accreditation (COA) for information about case transfers or about the accreditation/approval requirements. 

The Department of State’s role with case transfer plans is limited. The Department of State does not review or approve case transfer plans. The Department does, however, communicate with foreign Central Authorities and competent adoption authorities about the accreditation status of agencies and persons and case transfer plans, as needed.