Glossary of Terms

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  • r

  • Relinquishment
    When a parent or guardian voluntarily gives up legal rights and responsibilities to a child.
  • Report of Intent to Adopt
    A legal document stating a family’s intention to adopt, filed in the court of common pleas by the attorney representing an adoptive family or the CYS attorney handling the adoption.
  • Resource Family
    A family who provides temporary foster or kinship care for children who need out-of-home placement and may eventually provide permanency for those children, including as an adoptive family.
  • Resource Family Registry
    A database where all foster, formal kinship and adoptive parent applicants must be registered as established by Act 160 of 2004.
  • Reunification
    Returning children to the physical custody of their parent(s) after placement.
  • RFR
    A database where all foster, formal kinship and adoptive parent applicants must be registered as established by Act 160 of 2004.

  • s

  • Social History Information
    The term includes, but is not limited to the following: information about the adoptee and birth relatives of the adoptee, including economic, cultural and ethnic information; a developmental history of the adoptee, including the circumstances at birth, early development and subsequent(...)
  • Special Needs
    In Pennsylvania, a child with special needs is defined as a child who is free for adoption and meets at least one of these qualifying factors or conditions:
    • Physical, mental or emotional disability;
    • Genetic condition which indicates a high risk of developing a disability;
    • Member of a(...)
  • SPLC
    A permanent legal custodianship arrangement where a federal, state or county subsidy is provided to the custodian for the cost of providing care to a child.
  • Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network
    A network of public and private agencies and organizations that have a common goal of improving the opportunity for timely permanency for Pennsylvania children. SWAN provides direct services to children in out-of-home care and the families who serve them including Child Profile, Family(...)
  • Subsidized Permanent Legal Custodianship
    A permanent legal custodianship arrangement where a federal, state or county subsidy is provided to the custodian for the cost of providing care to a child.
  • Supervision
    The period after a child is placed with a family and before the adoption is finalized. During this period, the supervisory agency maintains regular contact with the child and family to provide supportive services, report on the progress of the adoption and eventually to recommend whether the(...)
  • SWAN
    A network of public and private agencies and organizations that have a common goal of improving the opportunity for timely permanency for Pennsylvania children. SWAN provides direct services to children in out-of-home care and the families who serve them including Child Profile, Family(...)