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ABUSE: Non-accidental injury or pattern of injuries resulting in serious
physical harm or risk of serious injury to a child. Also, includes sexual
abuse, which is any sexual behavior with a child.
ACTION MEETING: A meeting designed to bring family members, service
providers, community members, schools personnel and other involved family
support persons together to develop a plan that preserves families and/or
facilitates a permanent plan for a child.
AT RISK CASE MANAGEMENT (ARCM): A Medicaid program where a case
manager helps locate, coordinate and monitor appropriate services for
an individual. A child must be eligible for Medicaid to receive this service.
This service is voluntary.
ADJUDICATORY HEARING: A court hearing in which information is
presented regarding the abuse, neglect, or dependency of a child. The
judge then decides if this information is true.
ADOPTIONS AND SAFE FAMILIES ACT OF 1997
(ASFA): This act, passed in 1997, provides guidance to public child
welfare practice. Some of the basic ideas in this law are
- Placement in foster care is temporary
- A permanent plan should begin to be sought as soon
as a child enters foster care.
- Reunification is ideal but not when it jeopardizes
the safety of the child.
- Results and accountability are imperative to
children and family services.
- The child welfare system should utilize innovative
strategies to achieve permanence, safety, and well being for children.
CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES: A group of interrelated activities that involves
locating, coordinating, and monitoring services that have been assessed
as needed by the client.
CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES (CPS): North
Carolina state law mandates that the Department of Social Services receive
reports of child abuse and neglect, investigate these reports, and if
abuse or neglect is found, provide necessary services to ensure the safety
of children. These services are referred to as Child Protective Services.
COUNSELING: A professional relationship that helps an individual assess
his or her situation, plan steps for dealing with it and to take appropriate
action.
DEPENDENCY: A juvenile has no parent/guardian to provide for care,
or the parent/guardian is unable to provide for care.
DISPOSITIONAL HEARING: A hearing that occurs after a child has
been deemed abused, neglect, or dependent by the court. This hearing identifies
the needs and best interest of the child.
EMANCIPATION: Occurs when a youth leaves DSS custody upon turning
18 years old or when he or she is otherwise deemed legally independent.
GUARDIAN AD LITEM (GAL): A representative appointed by the court
who determines and offers recommendations regarding the best interest
of the child independently of DSS.
LEGAL CUSTODY/GUARDIANSHIP: The legal right given to an adult
to care for, supervise, and make important decisions for a child without
the involvement of social services. The biological parent/s may visit
the child unless the court has stated otherwise.
MANDATED SERVICES: Services that the law requires. Child Protective
Services are mandated and a family’s participation in these services
is non-voluntary.
NEGLECT: A parent or legal caretaker’s failure to provide
proper care, supervision and/or discipline to a child.
NON-VOLUNTARY SERVICES: Those services that are required by DSS
and may be mandated by the court.
PERMANENCE: A legal home for a child that promotes belonging and
a lasting family relationship.
PERMANENT PLAN: The ultimate goal of CPS services for a child.
This plan may be family preservation, reunification, legal custody, legal
guardianship, adoption, or emancipation.
PETITION: A legal document presented to the court that requests
a hearing in regard to allegations of the abuse, neglect, or dependency
of a child.
PREVENTION: Services to prevent family problems and to strengthen
a family’s capacity to raise their children to become healthy and
self-sufficient adults.
REASONABLE EFFORTS: The use of preventive or reunification services
by DSS to help keep a child safely at home or to return home safely within
a reasonable amount of time.
REUNIFICATION: The return of a child to the child’s original
family from which he or she was removed because of abuse or neglect.
RISK ASSESSMENT: A determination made by a social work supervisor
based on multiple factors in the family situation to continually evaluate
child safety and the family’s progress toward correcting problems.
This assessment occurs throughout the time that a family receives Child
Protective Services.
SERVICE AGREEMENT: An agreement reached by the DSS social worker
and the parents to set goals and services to help meet the goals, in order
for children to remain safely at home, or to return home safely. Goals
are specific, time-limited, and address problems leading to DSS involvement
with the family.
SOCIAL WORK: A focus on the relationship between individuals and
their environment. The social work process first defines and then intervenes
to resolve problems that develop in the interaction between an individual
and his or her environment.
SUBSTANTIATION: When DSS determines, based upon a thorough investigation,
that abuse/neglect and/or dependency has occurred.
VOLUNTARY SERVICES: Those services to strengthen families that
are available and optional to individuals.
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