IN SB0171

Allows adoption consent to be executed before an attorney via video conferencing, in addition to existing in-person options before courts, notaries, or authorized agents

Lowers the minimum age for court-approved postadoption contact privileges from 2 years to 12 months, while maintaining the requirement for significant emotional attachment between child and birth parent

Requires the Department of Child Services to notify the CHINS court within 7 business days when an adoption petition is filed for a child with an open child in need of services case

Establishes 11 specific factors the department must consider when determining if an out-of-home placement is in a child's best interest, including caregiver's interest in permanence, proximity to birth parents, and sibling placement considerations

Prohibits courts from changing a child's placement when an adoption petition has been filed by the current caregiver who has housed the child for at least 12 months (consecutive or nonconsecutive) until the adoption is ruled upon