U.S. senators say federal action may be needed to curb ‘re-homing’

By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. lawmakers said on Tuesday that the federal government may have to take a stronger role to stop parents from transferring custody of their adopted children to strangers they meet on the Internet.     At a subcommittee hearing in the U.S. Senate, lawmakers took their first look at the practice known as “private re-homing,” which bypasses the government’s child welfare system to leave boys and girls in the custody of strangers, often with little more than a notarized power of attorney.     The hearing came in response to a Reuters investigation that found online forums where desperate parents solicited new families for children they no longer wanted. Testimony shed light on the potential need for federal action to strengthen protections for children and support state efforts to help parents with post-adoption challenges.     “(It) certainly makes sense to the extent that re-homing is happening over the Internet, that it’s crossing state borders, that that necessitates – even requires – a federal response,” said Sen. Christopher Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat.     Joo Yeun Chang, the Obama administration official’s top official for foster care and adoption assistance programs, said the federal government needs to provide guidance for states on what she described as a new issue.