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Home > Glossary - I
Glossary - I
Many child welfare terms are subject to interpretation. The Glossary identifies commonly held definitions for terms that can be found on the Child Welfare Information Gateway website. It defines common acronyms and includes links to information on major Federal legislation and related child welfare terms. The Glossary will be updated as new terminology emerges in the field, as new legislation is enacted, and as child welfare terms take on new meaning.
IAA (see Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000)
ICAMA (see Interstate Compact on Adoption and Medical Assistance)
ICPC (see Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children)
IEP (see Individual Education Plan)
IEPA (see Interethnic Adoption Provisions of 1996)
IFPS (see intensive family preservation services)
illegal adoption
An adoption resulting from abuses such as: abduction, the sale of, traffic in, and other illegal or illicit activities against children.
immigration
Entering and settling in a country or region to which one is not native.
immunity
Legal protection from civil or criminal liability for those persons who report child abuse and neglect in good faith and without malicious intent or serve as witnesses who provide initial testimony.
incest
Sexual intercourse between persons who are closely related by blood. In the United States, incest is prohibited by many State laws as well as cultural tradition.
independent adoption, private adoption
A legal method of building a family through adoption without using an adoption agency or service provider for placement. Within the United States the birth parents relinquish parental rights directly to the adoptive parents instead of an agency. In intercountry independent adoption, families travel outside the United States to find a child to adopt, and the adoption takes place without the assistance of a Central Authority.
independent living program
A program that provides older children and eligible youth in out-of-home care with independent living services to help prepare them for self-sufficiency in adulthood. They can receive these services while they are living in any type of out-of-home care placement (such as kinship care, family foster care, or residential/group care). Youth receiving independent living services can be working toward achieving any of the permanency goals (such as reunification, adoption, or guardianship), or they may be heading toward emancipation from (aging out of) foster care to adulthood on their own. Independent living services generally include assistance with money management skills, educational assistance, household management skills, employment preparation, and other services. Also see transition, independent living, and self-sufficiency services.
Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) (see Major Federal Legislation Concerned With Child Protection, Child Welfare, and Adoption)
Individual Education Plan (IEP)
A plan for educational support services and outcomes developed for students enrolled in special education programs.
Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
A law that governs how States and public agencies provide early intervention, special education, and related services to eligible infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities. Infants and toddlers with disabilities (birth-2) and their families receive early intervention services under IDEA Part C. Children and youth (ages 3-21) receive special education and related services under IDEA Part B.
institutionalization
The practice of placing children or youth in hospitals, residential treatment, institutions, or orphanages. Institutionalization has been associated with developmental delays due to environmental deprivation, poor staff-child ratios, lack of contact with normal societal learning situations, or lack of a consistent caregiver. The term may also be used to describe the damage caused to people so accustomed to life in an institution that they have difficulties assuming or resuming life outside the institution.
intake
The activities associated with the receipt of a child maltreatment referral, including the assessment or screening, the decision to accept, and the enrollment of individuals or families into services. It also refers to the initial assessment conducted by service providers to determine the eligibility of a child, youth, or family to receive services and the appropriateness of services in comparison to the provider's established criteria.
intensive family preservation services
Family-focused, community-based crisis intervention services designed to maintain children safely in their homes and prevent the unnecessary separation of families. They are characterized by small caseloads for workers, short duration of services, 24-hour availability of staff, and the provision of services primarily in the family's home or in another environment familiar to the family. They are often offered to families as an alternative to their children's out-of-home placement. Also see family preservation services.
intercountry adoption
The adoption of children who are citizens of one country by parents who are citizens of a different country.
Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 (see Major Federal Legislation Concerned With Child Protection, Child Welfare, and Adoption)
Interethnic Provisions of 1996 (Section 1808 of P.L. 104-188, Removal of Barriers to Interethnic Adoption) (see Major Federal Legislation Concerned With Child Protection, Child Welfare, and Adoption)
interjurisdictional placement
The placement of children across county and State lines.
Interstate Compact on Adoption and Medical Assistance (ICAMA)
An agreement between member States that governs the interstate delivery of and payment for medical services and adoption assistance payments/subsidies for adopted children with special needs. The agreements are established by the laws of the States that are parties to the Compact. Nearly all 50 States and the District of Columbia are parties to the ICAMA.
Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC)
An agreement regulating the placement of children across State lines. All 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have adopted the ICPC as statutory law in their respective jurisdictions.
institutionalization
The practice of placing children or youth in hospitals, residential treatment, institutions, or orphanages. Institutionalization has been associated with developmental delays due to environmental deprivation, poor staff-child ratios, lack of contact with normal societal learning situations, or lack of a consistent caregiver. The term may also be used to describe the damage caused to people so accustomed to life in an institution that they have difficulties assuming or resuming life outside the institution.
intervention
An action intended to modify an outcome; a set of techniques and therapies practiced in counseling.
investigation
The stage of the child protective services (CPS) case process in which the CPS caseworker determines the validity of the child maltreatment report, assesses the risk of maltreatment, determines if the child is safe, develops a safety plan if needed to ensure the child's protection, and determines services needed.
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