A commentator recently wrote that "the ICPC and its implementation ought to be reconsidered from the perspective of whether it facilitates, unnecessarily delays, or frustrates desirable placements."⁹⁵ An analysis of the ICPC suggests that it more frequently delays unnecessarily and frustrates desirable interstate placements of children in the foster care system, including interstate adoptive placements. The Compact plays a necessary and desirable regulatory role, but its effectiveness and relevance have been sorely compromised by the overly broad definition of its scope, problems in many of the Compact's substantive provisions, and extreme implementation difficulties. None of these problems is insurmountable. A newly designed ICPC can play the role it was originally intended to serve -- promoting interstate cooperation with the ultimate goal of achieving permanency for all children in foster care, including those whose road to family is through adoption.

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