Iowa Administrative Code › Agency 441 - Human Services Department › Title XVI - Alternative Living › Chapter 200 - Adoption Services › Rule 441-200.1 - Definitions

Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 3, July 24, 2024
"Adoption "
means a legal and social process
				  through which a child becomes a member of a family into which the child was not
				  born. Adoption provides the child the same rights, privileges and duties as a
				  birth child.
"Adoption service "
means a service directed
				  towards children who are legally available for adoption, the birth family,
				  prospective adoptive family and adoptive family.
"Adoption work experience "
means supervised
				  employment in adoption services, which includes direct provision of adoption
				  services, development of adoption policies, provision of training related to
				  adoption services, oversight and review of adoption documents and activities,
				  and direct supervision of adoption workers. Only the percent of time related to
				  provision of adoption services shall be considered as adoption work experience
				  when job duties involve activities other than adoption services.
"Adoptive family"
means an approved person
				  or persons who have a child placed in their home and are being supervised prior
				  to finalizing the adoption; or who have a child in their home who is legally
				  adopted and entitled to the same benefits as a child born into the
				  family.
"Adoptive home study"
includes an assessment
				  of the family's parental attributes and a written report stating approval or
				  nonapproval of the family for adoptive placement of a child or children.
"Certified adoption investigator "
means a
				  person as defined at rule
				  441-107.2
				  (600).
"Child study or social history "
includes a
				  written description of the child including strengths and needs; medical,
				  mental, social, educational, placement and court history; a description of the
				  child's relationships with the birth family, foster family, and significant
				  others; a summary of the child's understanding and feeling about adoption and
				  recommendations as to the type of family that can best meet the child's
				  needs.
"Court-ordered studies "
means home studies
				  ordered by a judge for the purpose of determining custody of a child or
				  placement of a child for the purpose of adoption.
"Department"
means the department of human
				  services.
"Family safety risk, and permanency service"
means a service provided under 441-Chapter 172 that uses strategies and
				  interventions designed to achieve safety and permanency for a child with an
				  open department child welfare case, regardless of the setting in which the
				  child resides.
"Foster family adoption "
means the adoption
				  of a child by a licensed foster family who has cared for the child.
"Guardianship record"
means a case record
				  regarding a child, established and retained by the department, when the
				  department is named guardian of the child by court order. The purpose of the
				  guardianship record is to collect and maintain information about the child and
				  the birth family, legal documents, and other information that will assist in
				  fulfilling the responsibility of guardian.
"Life book"
means a compilation of
				  information about the child, including birth information, photographs of the
				  child; placement history, including dates of placement, names of caretakers,
				  reasons for leaving the placement; relationships; school reports; social,
				  medical, mental health developmental history; awards received, important
				  events, letters from significant persons, and other information that the child
				  wishes to include. The life book will assist the child in dealing with
				  separation and loss issues and provide background and genealogy data.
"Mental health professional"
means a
				  psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, psychiatric nurse or mental health
				  counselor who holds a current license as required by law.
"Placement services "
includes the
				  activities and travel necessary to place the child in the adoptive
				  family.
"Postadoption services"
includes those
				  services that an adoptive family may access after the adoption is finalized to
				  assist the family in coping with and resolving problems within the
				  family.
"Postplacement services"
includes the
				  supervision, support and intervention necessary prior to finalization to assist
				  in maintaining the adoptive placement.
"Preadoptive family"
means an approved
				  adoptive family with a child placed in the home for adoption whose adoption has
				  not been finalized.
"Preparation of child"
includes activities
				  necessary to ready the child for placement into an adoptive family.
"Preparation of family "
includes the
				  activities necessary to assist the family in adding an adoptive child as a new
				  member of their family.
"Preplacement visits "
means contacts,
				  activities, and visits between the child and adoptive family prior to the
				  adoptive placement.
"Procedendo "
means an order issued by the
				  supreme court returning jurisdiction to the district court after a final
				  appellate decision regarding an appeal.
"Recruitment and retention contractor"
means
				  the entity that contracts with the department statewide to recruit foster and
				  adoptive parents, complete home studies, and perform activities to support and
				  encourage retention of foster and adoptive parents, or any of its
				  subcontractors.
"Relative within the fourth degree of
				  consanguinity"
means an adult who is related to a child as
				  follows:
1. The child's parent, brother, or sister (first
				  degree);
2. The child's grandparent, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, or
				  first cousin (second degree);
3. The child's great grandparent, great aunt, great uncle,
				  great niece, great nephew, first cousin once removed, or second cousin (third
				  degree); or
4. The child's great-great grandparent, great-grand aunt,
				  great-grand uncle, great-grand niece, great-grand nephew, first cousin twice
				  removed, second cousin once removed, or third cousin (fourth degree).
"Release of custody services "
includes
				  providing information regarding options to assist the parents in making
				  permanent plans for their child and counseling regarding personal and emotional
				  issues as described in 441-subrule 108.9(2).
"Selection of family"
means reviewing
				  approved home studies to match a family's strengths with a specific child's
				  needs.
"Special needs child"
means a child who
				  meets one or more of the criteria set forth at 441-subrule 201.3(1).