Accrediting Entity [Adoption] Law and Legal Definition
An accrediting entity refers to an organization that has been designated by the U.S. Secretary of State to accredit adoption service providers in the U.S. for cases subject to the Hague Adoption Convention. For instance the Council on Accreditation (COA).
An accrediting entity must perform its functions pursuant to a written agreement with the Secretary that will be published in the Federal Register.
The agreement will address:
a. the responsibilities and duties of the accrediting entity;
b. the method by which the costs of delivering the accreditation, temporary accreditation, or approval services may be recovered through the collection of fees from those seeking accreditation, temporary accreditation, or approval, and how the entity's schedule of fees will be approved;
c. how the accrediting entity will address complaints about accredited agencies, temporarily accredited agencies, and approved persons (including their use of supervised providers) and complaints about the accrediting entity itself;
d. data collection requirements;
e. matters of communication and accountability between both the accrediting entity and the applicant(s) and between the accrediting entity and the Secretary; and
f. other matters upon which the parties have agreed.
Legal Definition list
Related Legal Terms
- Abandonment [Intercountry Adoption]
- Accredited Agency [Adoption]
- Accredited Body [Adoption]
- Accrediting Agency [Education]
- Adoption
- Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS)
- Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA)
- Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980
- Adoption Disruption
- Adoption Dissolution
