Section 15A. There is hereby established the center for adoption research and policy, which shall be operated under the direction of the board of trustees of the University of Massachusetts and based at the Worcester campus. The center shall be responsible for conducting research and formulating policy recommendations for the commonwealth, its agencies and any private adoption agency on matters relating to the care and custody of children in foster and substitute care under the care and protection of the commonwealth and all adopted children.
The center shall respond to requests from the general court, the judiciary, the department of children and families, the department of early education and care and any other state or private agency involved with the placement of children into foster or substitute care homes as well as pre-adoptive or adoptive homes for consultation, research assistance, research analysis, policy development, and the promotion of educational and training programs on foster and substitute care and adoption.
The center shall maintain the confidentiality of any individual whose personal information is made available to the center pursuant to section 7 of chapter 15D, and section 5E of chapter 210, but compliance with individual confidentiality shall not prevent the publication of aggregated research information or case studies wherein personal identifiers have been removed.
State or private agencies shall forward to birth parents, foster or adoptive parents, legal guardians and others requests from the center seeking participation in center research studies, but the center shall include in such requests a clear and understandable statement explaining that individuals receiving a request are under no legal obligation to comply with any request. State or private agencies are hereby directed to consult directly with the center for the purpose of applying for public and private grants in conjunction with the center.
Structure Massachusetts General Laws
Part I - Administration of the Government
Chapter 75 - University of Massachusetts
Section 1 - Status; Governing Body
Section 2 - Purpose; Courses of Instruction; Standards; Powers of Trustees
Section 2a - Branch Banks on University Grounds Authorized
Section 3 - Rules and Regulations
Section 3a - Delegation of Powers by Trustees
Section 4 - Meetings of Trustees; Quorum; Executive Sessions
Section 10 - Receipts and Expenditures; Annual Report; Monthly Statements; Accounting System
Section 11 - Special Trusts, etc.; Management
Section 11a - Funds for Legislative Agents or Organizations Attempting to Influence Legislation
Section 12 - University Property; Management and Administration
Section 14 - Election of Officers; Salary of President; Employment, Status and Benefits of Personnel
Section 14a - Prescription and Enforcement of Regulations; Contracts
Section 14c - University of Massachusetts Research Foundation; Powers; Regulations
Section 14d - University of Massachusetts; Extension Board of Public Overseers
Section 15 - Reports and Bulletins
Section 15a - Center for Adoption Research and Policy
Section 16 - Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station
Section 16a - Diagnostic Laboratory
Section 17 - Experiments and Investigations; Nature and Scope
Section 18 - Officers; Equipment
Section 19 - Reports on Results of Experiments; Distribution
Section 21 - Fee for Testing Poultry
Section 25 - Sale of Commonwealth Land to University Employees
Section 26 - Leasing of Commonwealth Land to University Employees
Section 27 - Approvals of Sales and Leases
Section 28 - Taxation of Leased Property
Section 29 - Protection and Maintenance of Mount Toby State Demonstration Forest
Section 32a - Control, Movement and Parking of Motor Vehicles; Appointment of Police Officers
Section 32b - David I. Walsh–leverett Saltonstall Visiting Lectureship Program
Section 33 - University Scholarships
Section 33a - General Court Fellowship Program
Section 34 - University of Massachusetts Medical School; Grants
Section 34a - Tuition; Residents
Section 35 - Dean and Other Officers and Members of Professional Staff
Section 36a - Cremation and Disposal of Donated Bodies
Section 36b - Analysis of Drugs, Medicine, Chemicals, etc.; Law Enforcement; Report
Section 36d - Payback Provisions in Learning Contracts; Interest Accrual; Annual Report
Section 37 - Establishment; Purpose; Contracts
Section 38 - National Environmental Technology Institute
Section 39 - Environmental Technology Testing Facility and Environmental Business Center
Section 40 - Marine Technology, Environmental, and Engineering Programs
Section 41 - Center for Materials Reuse
Section 42 - Funding for Environmental Programs; Administration
Section 45 - Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center
Section 45a - Application of Other Laws to the Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center
Section 45b - Innovation Commercialization Seed Fund
Section 45c - Innovation Voucher Program Fund
Section 46 - Office of Dispute Resolution
Section 47 - Statewide Community Mediation Center Grant Program; Funds; Compliance for Eligibility