Grounds for Involuntary Termination of Parental Rights

This publication provides an overview of State laws that establish the legal basis for terminating the parental rights of parents who have been found unfit to parent their children. The circumstances under which the court may find that termination may not serve the child's best interests and under which a parent's rights may be reinstated are also addressed. This publication presents a general overview of this aspect of child welfare law. Summaries of laws on this topic for all individual States, U.S. Territories, and Tribes are available from this page on the Child Welfare Information Gateway website. 

This publication is a product of the State Statutes Series prepared by Child Welfare Information Gateway. While every attempt has been made to be as complete as possible, additional information on these topics may be in other sections of a State's code as well as agency regulations, case law, and informal practices and procedures.

This material may be freely reproduced and distributed. However, when doing so, please credit Child Welfare Information Gateway.