Words to Know in the Children and Youth System
The following are words and phrases that you may not be familiar with but that you may hear as you are involved with the children and youth system.
ACCEPT FOR SERVICES – The individual/family becomes a client of CYS.
ADVOCATE – Person or group who promotes the rights of parents or children.
AGE-APPROPRIATE – Refers to the child’s expected mental and physical capacities.
ADOPTION - When one or two people are given all the legal rights for a child or youth, as parents. For this to happen, the parental rights of the biological parents must be terminated.
CHILD ABUSE – The Child Protective Services Law (CPSL) defines child
abuse as any of the following:
(i) Any recent act or failure to act by a perpetrator that causes non-accidental serious physical injury to a child under 18 years of age;
(ii) An act or failure to act by a perpetrator that causes non-accidental serious mental injury to or sexual abuse or sexual exploitation of a child under 18 years of age;
(iii) Any recent act, failure to act or series of such acts or failures to act by a perpetrator that creates an imminent risk of serious physical injury to or sexual abuse or sexual exploitation of a child under 18 years of age;
(iv) Serious physical neglect by a perpetrator constituting prolonged or repeated lack of supervision or the failure to provide the essentials of life, including adequate medical care, which endangers a child’s life or development or impairs the child’s functioning.
CHILD ABUSE REPORT – the written report of a child’s abuse. CYS can decide that child abuse is indicated (i.e., likely that it occurred), or CYS can decide that a report is unfounded (i.e., abuse cannot be proven). If at least one incident was proven to a court’s satisfaction, the case is founded.
CHILDLINE/ABUSE REGISTRY – Statewide list of all cases of child abuse that are under investigation, indicated, or founded.
CHILD NEGLECT - The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania provides written Regulations
for all General Protective Services, which are used by all child welfare agencies across the state. The regulations provide the following definition for child neglect:
Acts or omissions by a parent or the primary person responsible for the care of a child that result in a failure to provide the essentials of life and that create a potential for harm to the child’s safety, functioning or development.
For purposes of the definition of neglect, the following terms have the following definitions:
(i) Essentials of life — food, shelter, clothing, health care, personal care, education as required by law, proper supervision and protection from physical, sexual, or emotional injury.
(ii) Primary person who is responsible for the care of a child— a person who provides or arranges ongoing care and supervision for a child in lieu of parental care and supervision.
(iii) Potential for harm — likely, if permitted to continue, to have a detrimental effect on the child’s health, development, or functioning. Injury to the child is not imminent as defined by the Child Protective Services Law (CPSL).
CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES LAW (CPSL) – The state law that defines child abuse, mandates reporting of child abuse by professionals who work with children, and establishes guidelines for processing child abuse cases in children and youth agencies.
COURT-ACTIVE CASE – A case under review by a Judge.
COURT ORDER – A legally binding document stating a Judge’s instructions or directions. (All court orders must be followed by all parties.)
CHILD PERMANENCY PLAN (CPP) - This document is a written plan for a child who is in the custody of a children and youth agency. It must be developed within 30 days of placement. The CPP lists the services and placement to help the youth and family fix the problems that led to placement in care. The CPP should assure a long-term, stable, family-like setting for the youth. This may mean going home, being placed for adoption, or staying in care until age 18 or 21. The CPP lists the goals of the youth and the family. It also lists the services that must be provided to achieve the goals.
CUSTODY – Generally means having physical control over a person. A person to whom the legal custody of a child has been given by the court, under the Juvenile Act, has the right to the physical custody of the child, the right to determine the nature of the care and treatment of the child subject to the conditions and limitations set by the Court.
DELINQUENCY - When the Juvenile Court finds that a youth has committed a crime.
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WELFARE (DPW) - This is the state department that is responsible for Pennsylvania’s children and youth system.
DEPENDENCY - When the court finds that a youth requires some care or supervision
by the county Children and Youth agency because the youth has been abused or
neglected or does not have someone to care for them. This may mean that the
youth is put in a foster or group home placement, or it may mean that the youth
stays at home and the children and youth agency monitors them. When a youth
is found dependent everyone has to come to court so that the judge can make
sure that you are doing okay.
EMANCIPATION (JUDICIAL) - A court document that says an individual under 18 years of age has some of the rights of an adult. In most counties in Pennsylvania, you
have to show that you are living on your own and are able to financially support
yourself to be judicially emancipated.
FAMILY GROUP DECISION MAKING (FGDM) – FGDM is an evidence-based practice that empowers families to make decisions and plans for themselves. This practice puts the family in charge of inviting people to their conference, encourages them to talk about their strengths and concerns, and empowers them to write their own plans for success. Historically, family plans have been driven by the CYS agency's and service provider's concerns for the family; now, the agency is encouraging families to become more engaged by writing and fulfilling their own family plans, with support and guidance from the agency. CYS will continue to ensure safety throughout the life of the family plans.
FAMILY SERVICE PLAN (FSP) – A plan for the CYS client that identifies problems and how to solve them. It states the amount of time allowed for successful completion and the service programs to be put in place for the family. According to state regulation, this written plan must be complete within 60 days of a family being “accepted for service” by the children and youth agency.
FOSTER CARE – A child’s temporary home and care by a trained caretaker.
FOSTER HOME - A temporary home provided by a family to children who must be removed from the home of their parent or parents.
FOUNDED CASE – A substantiated case of child abuse based on judicial determination (court order) in either Family Court or Criminal Court
GENERAL PROTECTIVE SERVICES (GPS) – This term is used to describe the part of the children and youth system that processes neglect cases and/or other types of non-child abuse cases.
GUARDIAN – A person to whom the law has given custody and control of a child.
INDEPENDENT LIVING (IL) PLAN - A plan that sets out a youth’s goals for learning the skills needed to be independent and able to support her/himself when s/he leaves the system and the services needed to make that happen. A youth should work on the IL Plan with the IL worker and the plan should be part of the Child Permanency Plan (CPP).
INDICATED CASE – A substantiated case of child abuse based on admission by the perpetrator, medical evidence, or the evidence gathered during the CYS caseworker’s abuse investigation.
JUVENILE ACT – The state law enacted in 1972 that provides legal guidelines for initiating court action by children and youth agencies. The Act requires a judicial determination of dependency before the state, through its courts, can acquire jurisdiction and enter an order providing for the disposition of a dependent child.
KINSHIP PLACEMENT – A child’s temporary home with a relative or friend of the family.
LEAST RESTRICTIVE – This term refers to a “hierarchy” of placement settings that children and youth agencies must follow to provide a child entering placement with the most family-like setting possible.
OFFICE OF CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND FAMILIES (OCYF) - This is the office that supervises Pennsylvania’s children and youth system. It is located within the state Department of Public Welfare.
OUT-OF-HOME PLACEMENT – A temporary home for a child who, for safety reasons, must live away from parent(s).
PERMANENCY – The law requires that every child have a permanent home. When a child has lived away from home for a number of months, CYS must establish a permanent home. The child may return to the birth family or a judge may decide that the child live with relatives or with adoptive parents.
PERMANENCY PLANNING – The term refers to a philosophy for all children and youth services. It seeks to eliminate long term foster care placements and provide stable, loving homes for fall foster children.
PERMANENCY REVIEW HEARINGS - Court reviews of dependency cases, which occur at least once every three to six months. You can and should be present at these hearings so you can tell the judge how you feel about your goals and your placement.
REASONABLE EFFORTS – Unless a child’s safety is in question, this term refers to the services and activities the children and youth agency must do to try and keep children with their families before removing them from their homes.
RIGHTS –“Having the right to …” means that society has given a person permission – through the legal system – to act or secure an action in the way that s/he desires.
SUPERVISED INDEPENDENT LIVING (SIL) PLACEMENT - A placement in which a youth 16 years of age or older lives in an apartment and receives services from the county or private agency while the youth is still in the care of the county child welfare agency. These placements help prepare older youth for handling the responsibilities of being an adult. Youth can be placed in an SIL while you are still in care.
TERMINATION OF PARENTAL RIGHTS (TPR) - A legally binding court decision made by a judge in court. TPR ends all parental rights of birth parents. Before a child/youth can be adopted, the county child welfare agency must ask that court to terminate the rights of the biological parents. If the court terminates the parent’s rights, the child is free for adoption. Once a parent’s rights are terminated they are no longer entitled to any information regarding the child. When a parent’s rights are terminated they no longer have the right to make decisions about the youth’s education or medical treatment. They also do not have the right to visit with the youth.
TRANSITIONAL LIVING PLACEMENT (TLP) - Placement in which youth 16 years of age and older live with no more than four other youth. In a TLP placement youth are given more responsibility and have less supervision. TLP programs are great for preparing youth for taking on the responsibilities of adults. Your county child welfare agency can provide these placements for you while you are still in care.
The following sources of information were used for this section:
A Family’s Guide to the Child Welfare System, Jan McCarthy, Anita Marshall, Julie Collins, Girlyn Arganza, Kathy Deserly, Juanita Milon, December 2003.
A Parent’s Handbook, Allegheny County Department of Human Services, August 2008.
Know Your Rights: A Guide for Youth in Substitute Care, Juvenile Law Center and KidsVoice, 2006.
Juvenile Probation Officer Training Manual, PACouncil of Chief Juvenile Probation Officers, Center For Juvenile Justice Training and Research, Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission, 1996.
2 Last updated – January 2010