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Home > Glossary - A
Glossary - A
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.
abandoned infant
A newborn child who is not medically cleared for hospital discharge but who is unlikely to leave the hospital in the custody of his or her biological parent(s).
abandonment
A situation in which the child has been left by the parent(s), the parent's identity or whereabouts are unknown, the child suffers serious harm, or the parent has failed to maintain contact with the child or to provide reasonable support for a specified period of time.
abuse and neglect (see child abuse and neglect)
accreditation
The acknowledgment and verification that an organization fulfills explicit specified standards. For example, public and private child and family service agencies may apply for accreditation with several accrediting bodies—including the Council on Accreditation of Services for Families and Children—conduct a self-assessment, and undergo periodic accreditation reviews to ensure that they meet quality standards.
ACF (see Administration for Children and Families)
Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (see Major Federal Legislation Concerned With Child Protection, Child Welfare, and Adoption)
adjudicatory hearing
Held by the juvenile and family court to determine if there is enough evidence to prove that a child was actually abused, neglected, or abandoned, or whether another legal basis exists for the State to intervene to protect the child.
Administration for Children and Families (ACF)
An agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that provides national leadership and creates opportunities for families to lead economically and socially productive lives. ACF's programs are designed to help children develop into healthy adults and to help communities become more prosperous and supportive of their members. ACF is responsible for Federal programs that promote the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals, and communities.
administrative review
Status review of children in foster care that is required every 6 months by the Adoption and Safe Families Act.
adoption
The social, emotional, and legal process through which children who will not be raised by their birth parents become full and permanent legal members of another family while maintaining genetic and psychological connections to their birth family.
adoption agency
A legally regulated entity that provides one or more of the following: assessment of prospective adoptive parents, counseling services to birth parents, preparation and placement of children with adoptive families, and postadoption services. Agencies may be public or private, secular or religious, for profit or nonprofit.
Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS)
A national data collection and analysis system that collects case level information on all children in foster care for whom State child welfare agencies have responsibility for placement, care or supervision, and on children who are adopted under the auspices of the State's public child welfare agency.
Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) (see Major Federal Legislation Concerned With Child Protection, Child Welfare, and Adoption)
adoption assistance
Federal (title IV-E of the Social Security Act) or State benefits granted to adoptive families to offset the short- and long-term costs of adopting eligible children who have special needs (defined differently in each State). Benefits vary by State but commonly include monthly cash payments, medical assistance, social services, and nonrecurring adoption expenses.
Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 (P.L. 96-272) (see Major Federal Legislation Concerned With Child Protection, Child Welfare, and Adoption)
adoption attorney
A lawyer who practices in the field of adoption law, including the application of State and Federal laws pertaining to adoption matters, and who has proficiency in filing, processing, and the finalization of adoption matters in courts having appropriate jurisdiction.
adoption disruption
An adoption that is terminated prior to finalization, often after the child is placed in the adoptive home, necessitating in a new placement plan for the child.
adoption dissolution
A term used to describe an adoption that ends after it is legally finalized, resulting in the child's return to (or entry into) foster care or placement with new adoptive parents. This process requires court action.
adoption exchange
An organization that provides adoption information to educate prospective adoptive parents and connect waiting families with waiting children. Often these organizations serve to promote the adoption of children with specials needs and use print, radio, television, and the Internet to recruit prospective adoptive families for specific children. An adoption exchange can be local, State, regional, national, or international in scope.
adoption facilitator
A person, not part of a licensed agency, who acts as an intermediary between birth parents and prospective adoptive parents in arranging independent adoptions, often for a fee. It may also refer to a person who facilitates postadoption contact/reunion in adoption searches. Some States explicitly prohibit the use of facilitators in arranging adoptions, and others have laws that regulate the use of facilitators in an effort to ensure that no person, either the intermediary or a member of the birth family, profits from the placement of the child.
adoption petition
The legal document through which prospective parents request the court's permission to adopt a specific child.
adoption placement
The point at which a child begins to live with prospective adoptive parents, prior to finalization of the adoption.
adoption plan
The birth parent's decision to allow his/her biological child to be adopted into an adoptive family.
adoption revocation
Legal withdrawal of an agreement to adoption by the birth parents. Circumstances and time limits for revocation are established by States.
adoption subsidy (see adoption assistance)
adoption tax credit
Federal and State credits that reduce taxes owed by parents who adopt to help defray some of the costs associated with adoption. The amount may depend on family income and other adoption benefits.
adoption tax exclusion
IRS provision in the Federal tax code that allows adoptive parents to exclude cash or other adoption benefits from a private-sector employer when computing the family's adjusted gross income for tax purposes.
adoption triad
The three types of individuals involved in any adoption: the birth parent(s), the adoptive parent(s), and the adopted child or adult. The adoption triad may also be referred to as the "adoption triangle," the "adoption circle," or the "adoption constellation."
adult adoption
The adoption of a person over the age of minority. States designate the age of majority and other conditions for the adoption of adults.
AFCARS (see Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System)
alcohol-related birth defects
Physical or cognitive deficits in a child that result from maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy. This includes but is not limited to fetal alcohol syndrome. Also see fetal alcohol syndrome and prenatal substance exposure.
Another Planned Permanent Living Arrangement (APPLA)
A planned, permanent arrangement that is the goal for a youth after reunification, adoption, legal guardianship, and relative placement have been ruled out. This plan usually involves the designation of a specific adult or couple who will exercise certain powers and responsibilities and likely live with the young person. Furthermore, the caregiver's familial relationship will continue beyond the youth's formal involvement in foster care.
apostille
A type of certification for documents in intercountry adoptions. An apostille is necessary if the country participates in the Hague Convention. Documents are certified by State Department officials who have been designated as competent to issue certifications by apostille.
APPLA (see Another Planned Permanent Living Arrangement)
ASFA (see Adoption and Safe Families Act)
assessment
A process in which information is gathered, analyzed, and synthesized to determine strengths and needs of the family, parent, child, and community. Assessment is used to identify appropriate services and to develop a case plan to reduce risk of child abuse and neglect and promote safety, permanency, and well-being of a child.
attachment
Child's connection to a parent or other caregiver that endures over time, establishes an interpersonal connection, and aids in the development of a sense of self.
authentication
The process of certifying documents for use by foreign governments (e.g., home studies for intercountry adoptions).
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