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-A- |
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ADOPTEE |
An adopted person.
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ADOPTION: |
A court action in which an
adult assume legal and other responsibilities for another, usually a
minor.
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ADOPTION DISRUPTION: |
The interruption of an
adoption prior to finalization, this sometimes is called a failed adoption
or a failed placement. The child would return to foster care and/or be
placed with another adoptive parent.
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ADOPTION DISSOLUTION: |
The interruption or
'failure' of an adoption after finalization that requires court action
(The child would return to foster care and/or be placed with another
adoptive parent.)
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ADOPTION EXCHANGE: |
An organization that
recruits adoptive families for children with special needs using print,
radio, television, and Internet recruitment, adoption exchanges can be
local, state, regional, national or international in scope.
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ADOPTION PETITION: |
The legal document through
which prospective parents request the court's permission to adopt a
specific child.
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ADOPTION PLACEMENT: |
The point at which a child
begins to live with prospective adoptive parents or, in the case of foster
adoption, the point at which the status of the placement changes to
adoption; the period before the adoption is finalized.
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ADOPTION PLAN: |
Birth parents' decision to
allow their child to be placed for adoption.
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ADOPTION SUBSIDIES: |
Federal or state adoption
benefits (also known as adoption assistance) designed to help offset the
costs associated with adopting children who need special services.
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ADOPTION TAX CREDITS: |
Non-refundable credit which
reduces taxes owed by adoptive parents who claim adoption expense
reimbursement.
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ADOPTION TRIAD: |
The three major parties in
an adoption: birth parents, adoptive parents, and adopted child; also
called 'adoption triangle', or 'adoption circle'.
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ADULT ADOPTION: |
The adoption of a person
over the age of majority (as defined in state law).
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AGENCY ADOPTION:
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Adoptive placements made by
licensed organizations that screen prospective adoptive parents and
supervise the placement of children in adoptive homes until the adoption
is finalized.
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-B-
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BIRTH PARENT:
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A child's biological parent. |
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-C-
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CLOSED ADOPTION: |
An adoption that involves
total confidentiality and sealed records.
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CONCURRENT PLANNING: |
A process used in foster
care case management by which child welfare staff work toward family
reunification and, at the same time, develop an alternative permanency
plan for the child (such as permanent placement with a relative, or
adoption) should family reunification efforts fail; planning intended to
reduce the time a child spends in foster care before a child is placed
with a permanent family.
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CONFIDENTIALITY: |
The legally required process
of keeping identifying or other significant information secret; the
principle or ethical practice which requires social workers and other
professionals not to disclose information about a client without the
client's consent.
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CONSENT TO ADOPT OR CONSENT TO ADOPTION:
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Legal permission for the
adoption to proceed. |
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-D-
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DISCLOSURE: |
A legal order that finalized
an adoption.
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DOSSIER:
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A set of legal documents
which are used in an international adoption to process a child's adoption
or assignment of guardianship in the foreign court.
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-E-
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No definitions at this time.
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-F-
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FINALIZATION: |
The final step in the adoption process;
involves a court hearing during which the judge orders that the adoptive
parents become the child's legal parents.
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FOSTER ADOPTION:
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In this type of
placement, foster parents agree to adopt the child if/when parental rights
are terminated. Social workers place the child with specially trained
foster-adopt
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-G-
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No definitions
at this time.
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-H-
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HOME STUDY:
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A process
through which prospective adoptive parents are educated about adoption and
evaluated to determine their suitability to adopt.
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-I-
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IDENTIFYING INFORMATION: |
Information
about birth parents that discloses their identities. |
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INTER-COUNTRY OR INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION:
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The
adoption of a child who is a citizen of one country by adoptive parents
who are citizens of a different country.
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-J- |
No
definitions at this time. |
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-K- |
No
definitions at this time. |
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-L-
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LEGAL RISK PLACEMENT: |
Placement of a child in a prospective adoptive family when a child is not
yet legally free for adoption. Before another family can legally adopt a
child, parental rights of his or her birth parents must be terminated.
In a 'legal risk' placement either this termination of parental rights has
not yet occurred, or it is being contested.
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LEGALLY FREE:
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A
child whose birth parents' rights have been legally terminated so that the
child is 'free' to be adopted by relatives or another family.
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-M-
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No
definitions at this time.
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-N-
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NON-IDENTIFYING INFORMATION: |
Facts about the birth parents or adoptive parents that would not lead to
their discovery by another person.
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NON-RECURRING ADOPTION COSTS:
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One-time adoption expenses, which, through the provisions of the Adoption
Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980, may be at least partially
reimbursed by states up to a maximum limit of $2000 to families adopting
children with special needs. Allowable expenses for this reimbursement
benefit can include the cost of a home study, adoption fees, court costs,
attorney fees, physical and psychological examinations, travel to visit
with the child prior to the placement, and other expenses related to the
legal adoption of a child with special needs. |
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-O-
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OPEN ADOPTION: |
An
adoption that involves some amount of initial and/or ongoing contact
between birth and adoptive families, ranging from sending letters through
the agency, to exchanging names, and/or scheduling visits. |
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-P- |
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PATERNITY TESTING: |
Genetic testing that can determine the identity of the biological father;
paternity testing can be done with or without access to the biological
mother.
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PERMANENCY PLANNING: |
The
systematic process of carrying out (within a brief, time-limited period) a
set of goal-directed activities designed to help children live in
permanent families by providing continuity of relationships with nurturing
parents or caretakers and the opportunity to establish lifetime family
relationships.
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PLACEMENT DATE: |
The
time at which the child comes to live with the adopting parents, or in the
case of "foster adoption", the point at which the formal status of the
placement changes to adoption.
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POST-LEGAL ADOPTION SERVICES: |
Services provided subsequent to legal finalization of the adoption, which
may be provided by social service agencies, private therapists, mental
health clinics and self-help groups.
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POST-PLACEMENT SUPERVISION:
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The
range of counseling and agency services provided to the adoptive parents
and adopted child subsequent to the child's adoptive placement and before
the adoption is legally finalized in court; social worker reports of this
"required supervisory period" are forwarded to the court.
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-Q-
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-R-
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No
definitions at this time. |
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RELINQUISHMENTS:
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Voluntary termination of parental rights; sometimes referred to as a
surrender or as making an adoption plan for one's child. |
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-S- |
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SEARCH: |
An
attempt, usually by birth parent, adopted person, or adoptive parent (but
sometimes by volunteers or paid consultants) to make a connection between
the birth parent and the biological child.
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STEPPARENT ADOPTION:
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The
adoption of a child by the new spouse of the birth parent. |
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-T- |
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TERMINATION OF PARENTAL RIGHTS:
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The
legal process that involuntarily severs a parent's right to a child. |
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-U-
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No definitions at this time.
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-V-
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No
definitions at this time.
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-W-
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No
definitions at this time.
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-X-
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No
definitions at this time.
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-Y-
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No
definitions at this time.
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-Z-
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No
definitions at this time.
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