Child Protection Resources for Parents

Terms you may hear in Court

Adjudicatory Hearing:

About a month after a child goes to foster care, the judge decides if the child protection case should continue. If the judge decides that case should continue, the judge then decides whether the child should stay in foster care or go home while the family works on a Case Plan.

Adoption:

Sometimes, children can't go back to live with their parents. When this happens, they might become part of a new forever family. In Idaho, children who are 12 or older must agree to be adopted. If they don’t, then they may stay in care, or choose another permanency option, like a Guardianship.

Case Plan Hearing:

This is when the judge approves your Case Plan of what needs to be done for your child to return home and to close the case.

Case Plan:

This is a list of tasks made by you and your caseworker. When you make enough progress on your tasks, your children may return home. When you complete your Case Plan, your case will be closed. The Case Plan lists who does what, when, how, and why. You have tasks, but your caseworker will too. It should be made within 60 days of the case starting and checked every three months.

Caseworker:

This is a person from Health and Welfare who helps your family. They might also be called a "case manager" or "social worker."

Children at Risk Evaluation Services (CARES):

This is a team of specialized doctors who provide expert medical examinations and care to children when there are concerns that they were abused or neglected.

CodeX:

A National Crime Information Center (NCIC) check that law enforcement can do through their internal system. This allows for a quicker background check.

Community Based Rehabilitation Services (CBRS):

This is a program for children and adults to learn new skills.

Concurrent Planning:

This is the backup plan for where a child will live forever if they can’t return home to their parents.

Congregate Care or Residential Care Facility:

Group homes for children who need extra care for their behaviors or disabilities.

Diagnosis:

This is when a doctor figures out what's making someone sick. Doctors can also diagnose abuse and neglect that has previously happened to a child.

Driving Under the Influence (DUI):

This is when someone is caught driving after drinking alcohol or using drugs.

Expedited Foster Placement:

This means quickly finding a new home for a child, usually with family or close friends.

Extended Home Visit:

This is when children get to live with their family, even though they're still legally under the care of Health and Welfare.

Family Assessment:

Meetings with your family to see what help you need.

Family Group Decision Making (FGDM):

A talk with family and important people to make a plan that works best.

Foster Care:

This is when children who can't live with their own family stay with another family who takes care of them.

Foster Child:

A child who is living with another family because they can't live with their own.

Global Appraisal of Individual Needs (GAIN):

This is a test to see if someone is struggling with alcohol or drugs.

Guardian ad Litem (GAL):

This is a volunteer appointed by the court to speak on behalf of the child’s best interest in court.

Guardianship:

Someone else becomes responsible for your child, like a family member or friend. This is different than a “power of attorney” agreement.

Hair Follicle Test:

This is a test of a person’s hair to see if they have used drugs in the last few months.

Health and Welfare:

This is the state government agency that helps families and children with important things like healthcare and safety. Can be known as “DHW”, “the Department”, or “IDHW”.

Idaho Child Protective Act (CPA):

This is a whole section of Idaho law designed to protect children and support families.

Idaho Court of Appeals:

This is a court that can review the decisions made by the judge in the child protection case.

Idaho Juvenile Rule (IJR):

These are rules for the judge to follow in a child protection case.

Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA):

This is a federal law designed to identify and protect Indian children.

Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC):

A set of federal and state laws that the judge in a child protection case has to follow before allowing a child to live in another state.

Long Term Foster Care:

Children stay in foster care until they're 18.

Minimum Sufficient Level of Care:

This is the least amount of care needed to keep a child safe and healthy.

Non-Relative Foster Placement:

This is when a child is placed in a foster home with someone who isn't their family.

Out-of-State Placement:

This is when a child is placed with family in another state, or in a congregate care facility in another state. A judge must approve an out-of-state placement before it is allowed.

Permanency Hearing:

A court hearing where the judge decides what the best plan is for a child moving forward. The court can choose to keep working with parents to get their child home or another plan like termination of parental rights or guardianship.

Permanency Plan:

A plan for where a child will live forever. They might live with you, family, another family, or in a special home.

Pre-Trial Conference:

This is when people talk about a case before it goes to court.

Probation Violation:

This is when someone breaks the rules while on probation.

Protective Supervision:

This is when a child remains with their family, but family still goes to court and has a Case Plan. Under Protective Supervision, parent(s) keep custody of their child/ren.

Qualified Residential Treatment Program (QRTP):

A group home that provides specialized care to help children with significant behavior or disability needs.

Relative Foster Placement:

This is when a child is placed in a foster home with someone who is family such as their grandparents, aunts, uncles, or cousins.

Reunification:

When you and your child come back together and they go home.

Review Hearing:

These are talks in court during the case to check how things are going and if anything needs to change.

Safety Assessment:

This is a tool used by Health and Welfare to see if there are safety threats or immediate needs that they can help with.

Safety Plan:

A plan to make sure a child is safe right away.

Shelter Care Hearing:

The first hearing in a child protection case. If your child is taken from you, you will have this first hearing within two days, not counting weekends or holidays. The judge decides if the child will stay in foster care or if the case is dismissed.

Shelter Care/Foster Care:

A temporary home for children who can't stay with their family.

Substance Use Disorder:

This is when someone has trouble with drugs or alcohol.

Supervised Visitation:

When the visits between parents and their children are watched by the Health and Welfare caseworker. This is done to make sure the children are safe during the visit and to offer advice and support. Visits can end early if the rules are not followed.

Termination of Parental Rights Trial:

A trial where the judge may decide it's not safe for the child to ever go back home and that it is in the child’s best interest to be adopted by another family.

Termination of Parental Rights:

When a judge rules after a trial that a parent is no longer a parent to their child. The child will then be adopted by another family.

Urinalysis:

This is a test of a person’s urine to see if someone has been using drugs.

Visitation:

Planned visits between you and your child, and maybe other family too.