Multi-Ethnic Placement Act (MEPA)
Definition: A federal law enacted in 1994 and implemented through State policy. The Multi-Ethnic Placement Act of 1994, amended in 1996 to include the Removal of Barriers to InterEthnic Adoption (IEP), Section 1808 of P.L. 104-188 [42 USC 1996b], prohibits the delay or denial of any adoption or placement in foster care due to the race, color, or national origin of the child or the foster or adoptive parents by any agency or individual receiving federal funding, and requires States to provide for diligent recruitment of potential foster and adoptive families who reflect the ethnic and racial diversity of children for whom homes are needed.
MEPA-IEP (as the full Act is known) does not apply to children covered under the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA).
Also Known As:MEPA, MEPA-IEP
Elsewhere on the Web:The Multi-Ethnic Placement Act
The law prohibits discrimination in the placement of children based on race, color, or national origin.
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