This guide was created to help you navigate the often complex language used in child welfare. If you come across a term you don't fully understand, please refer to this glossary below or download here:

Abandonment - When a child is left by their parent(s), and the parent’s identity or location is unknown. This can result in serious harm to the child if they are not supported for an extended period.

Abuse - Any deliberate act or threat that causes or is likely to cause physical, mental, or sexual harm to a child, significantly impairing their health.

Adoption - The legal, emotional, and social process that allows children who cannot be raised by their birth parents to become permanent members of another family while maintaining connections to their birth family.

Assessment - An ongoing process used in child welfare to gather and evaluate information that influences decisions regarding children, youth, and their families. Assessment begins when a family first engages with the system and continues until the case is closed.

Attachment - The enduring bond between a child and a parent or caregiver, crucial for the child's development and sense of self.

Allegations - Claims or assertions that someone has done something wrong, often without proof.

APPLA - Another Planned Permanent Living Arrangement, a term used when reunification, relative placement, adoption, or legal guardianship are not viable, and a long-term living situation is arranged for the child.

Background Check - An investigation conducted on prospective caregivers, foster, and adoptive parents to ensure their suitability for caring for children, often including criminal records and child abuse registry checks.

Birth Parent - The biological parent of a child.

Bonding - The process of forming an emotional attachment, essential for healthy development and lifelong relationships.

Caregiver - Anyone responsible for meeting the physical, emotional, and social needs of a dependent person, including parents, relatives, and child care workers.

Case Closure - The process of ending the involvement of child protective services with a family, typically when the family has met their goals and reduced the risk of maltreatment.

Case Manager - A professional who coordinates services for a child and their family, ensuring that their needs are met in a timely and appropriate manner.

Case Manager Supervisor - The direct supervisor of a Dependency Case Manager.

Case Management - The coordination and monitoring of services tailored to a family's strengths and needs, involving regular contact to assess progress toward goals.

Case Plan - A document outlining the goals and tasks for a child’s care while in placement, monitored by the caseworker and possibly influencing court proceedings.

Case Planning Conference - A meeting where the case manager and biological parents (and youth, if appropriate) create the parent’s case plan.

Citizen Review Panel - A group of volunteers who review child welfare cases and policies to assess the effectiveness of agencies in managing cases.

Child Abuse and Neglect - Defined by the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) as any recent act or failure to act by a parent or caretaker resulting in serious harm to a child, or creating a significant risk of harm.

Comfort Call - A call initiated by foster parents or a trauma therapist to a child’s biological family within 24-48 hours after the child is placed in foster care.

Concurrent Planning - An approach that simultaneously considers multiple permanency options for a child, with the primary plan typically being reunification with the family.

Conditions for Return - The specific circumstances that must change to allow a child to safely return home with an in-home safety plan.

Co-parenting - A practice where foster parents and biological parents collaborate to support the child’s well-being, often with the goal of reunification.

Family Team Meeting - A meeting where family members and professionals collaborate to make decisions about the care and services for a child, ensuring their safety and well-being.

Fictive Kin - An individual who is not related by birth, marriage, or adoption but has a significant emotional relationship with a child, akin to that of a family member.

Foster Care - Temporary care provided to children who cannot live with their parents, involving placements in foster homes, group homes, or other facilities.

Foster Parent - An individual licensed to provide a temporary home and care for children who have been removed from their homes.

Full Case Management Agency - An organization that coordinates and monitors services for a child and their family, including abuse prevention and mental health counseling.

Group Home - A residential facility that serves as an alternative to a family foster home, housing multiple children and offering access to community resources.

Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) - A trained volunteer or lawyer who represents a child in court, focusing on the child’s best interests.

Home Study - An evaluation process to determine the suitability of prospective foster, kinship, and adoptive parents, ensuring the best placement for a child.

Ice-breaker - A meeting between birth parents and foster caregivers to share information about the child, helping foster caregivers provide quality care and build a supportive relationship.

Impending Danger - A situation where a child is in continuous danger due to caregiver behaviors or circumstances, requiring thorough assessment to ensure the child's safety.

In-home Services - Services provided to families in their homes to address child abuse or neglect, often as part of an open case with the child welfare agency.

Kinship Care - When a child is placed with relatives or close family friends in a foster care arrangement, often referred to as “formal” or “public” kinship care.

MDT (Multidisciplinary Team) - A group of professionals who collaborate to make important decisions about a child’s placement, education, or other significant aspects of their life.

Neglect - When a child is deprived of essential needs like food, shelter, or medical care, leading to significant harm or risk of harm to their health.

Out-of-Home Care - Also known as foster care, this term includes all placements where children are cared for outside their family homes, such as foster, kinship, or group care.

Parent Partnership Working Agreement (PPWA) - An agreement where biological parents, foster caregivers, and child welfare agencies collaborate to support the child’s development and success.

Peer Support Specialist - Individuals who have experienced similar challenges and help others in their recovery process by offering guidance and support.

Permanency Plan - A plan to ensure long-term stability for a child, often involving adoption, reunification, or guardianship.

Permanency - The goal of finding a permanent family relationship for every child in foster care, achieved through reunification, adoption, or legal guardianship.

Permanent Guardianship - A legal relationship where a caretaker assumes permanent responsibility for a child, including decision-making rights.

Present Danger - An immediate and observable family condition that poses a direct threat to a child's safety, requiring urgent protective action.

Protective Factors - Conditions that reduce the risk of maltreatment and promote healthy development and well-being for children and families.

Race - A social and political construct used to categorize and divide individuals based on physical appearance, ancestry, and cultural history.

Racial Disparity - Unequal outcomes experienced by different racial groups.

Racial Equity - A process where race no longer predicts life outcomes, leading to fairer policies and practices.

Racial Justice - The effort to establish policies and practices that produce equitable outcomes for all, eradicating racism and promoting racial equity.

Racism - Systematic discrimination against marginalized groups, requiring one racial group to have power and superiority over others.

Reasonable Efforts - Efforts by social services agencies to provide necessary assistance and services to preserve and reunify families.

Reunification - The process of returning children in foster care to their families, often the primary goal in child welfare cases.

Reunion Registry - A tool allowing adopted individuals and birth parents to register and search for each other, facilitating a reunion if both parties are searching.