237 Pa. Code r. 1120
ADULT is any person, other than a child, eighteen years old or older.
ADVANCED COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY is any communication equipment that is used as a link between parties in physically separate locations and includes, but is not limited to, systems providing for two-way simultaneous audio-visual communication, closed circuit television, telephone and facsimile equipment, and electronic mail.
AGE-APPROPRIATE OR DEVELOPMENTALLY-APPROPRIATE is used to describe the:
AGGRAVATED CIRCUMSTANCES are those circumstances specifically defined pursuant to the Juvenile Act, 42 Pa.C.S. § 6302.
CAREGIVER is a person with whom the child is placed in an out-of-home placement, including a resource family or individual designated by a county agency or private agency. The resource family is the caregiver for any child placed with them.
CHILD is a person who:
CLERK OF COURTS is that official in each judicial district who has the responsibility and function under state law or local practice to maintain the official court record and docket, without regard to that person's official title. A party to the proceedings shall not function as the clerk of courts.
COPY is an exact duplicate of an original document, including any required signatures, produced through mechanical or electronic means and includes, but is not limited to, copies reproduced by transmission using facsimile equipment, or by scanning into and printing out of a computer.
COUNTY AGENCY is the county children and youth social service agency established pursuant to the County Institution District Law, 62 P. S. § 2305 (1937) or established through the county commissioners in the judicial districts where the County Institution District Law was abolished, 16 P. S. §§ 2161 and 2168, and supervised by the Department of Public Welfare pursuant to the Public Welfare Code, 62 P. S. § 901et seq.
COURT is the Court of Common Pleas, a court of record, which is assigned to hear dependency matters. Court shall include juvenile court hearing officers when they are permitted to hear cases under these rules. Juvenile court shall have the same meaning as court.
DILIGENT EFFORTS are the comprehensive and ongoing efforts made to identify and locate adult relatives and kin for a child until the permanency goal is achieved.
EDUCATIONAL DECISION MAKER is a responsible adult appointed by the court to make decisions regarding a child's education when the child has no guardian or the court has limited the guardian's right to make such decisions for the child. The educational decision maker acts as the child's representative concerning all matters regarding education unless the court specifically limits the authority of the educational decision maker.
FAMILY FINDING is the ongoing diligent efforts of the county agency, or its contracted providers, to search for and identify adult relatives and kin, and engage them in the county agency's social service planning and delivery of services, including gaining commitment from relatives and kin to support a child or guardian receiving county agency services.
FAMILY SERVICE PLAN is the document in which the county agency sets forth the service objectives for a family and services to be provided to a family by the county agency.
GUARDIAN is any parent, custodian, or other person who has legal custody of a child, or person designated by the court to be a temporary guardian for purposes of a proceeding.
HEALTH CARE is care related to any medical need including physical, mental, and dental health. This term is used in the broadest sense to include any type of health need.
JUDGE is a judge of the Court of Common Pleas.
JUVENILE COURT HEARING OFFICER is an attorney with delegated authority to preside over and make recommendations for dependency matters. Juvenile court hearing officer has the same meaning as master as used pursuant to 42 Pa.C.S. § 6301et seq.
JUVENILE PROBATION OFFICER is a person who has been appointed by the court or employed by a county's juvenile probation office, and who has been properly commissioned by being sworn in as an officer of the court to exercise the powers and duties set forth in Rule 195, the Juvenile Act, and the Child Protective Services Law.
KIN is a relative of the child through blood or marriage, godparent of the child as recognized through an organized church, a member of the child's tribe or clan, or someone who has a significant positive relationship with the child or the child's family.
KINSHIP CARE is the full-time nurturing and protection of a child who is separated from the child's guardian and placed in the home of a caregiver who has an existing relationship with the child and/or the child's family.
LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER is any person who is by law given the power to enforce the law when acting within the scope of that person's employment.
MEDICAL FACILITY is any hospital, urgent care facility, psychiatric or psychological ward, drug and alcohol detoxification or rehabilitation program, or any other similar facility designed to treat a child medically or psychologically.
MINOR is any person under the age of eighteen.
OFFICIAL COURT RECORD is the juvenile court file maintained by the clerk of courts which contains all court orders, court notices, docket entries, filed documents, evidence admitted into the record, and other court designated documents in each case.
PARTY is a person or the county agency who has standing to participate in the proceedings but nothing in these Rules confers standing upon a person.
PERMANENCY PLAN is a comprehensive plan that will result in a permanent home for the child.
PETITION is a formal document by which a child is alleged to be dependent.
PETITIONER is any person, who signs or verifies, and files a petition.
POLICE OFFICER is any person, who is by law given the power to arrest when acting within the scope of that person's employment.
PROCEEDING is any stage in the dependency process occurring once a shelter care application has been submitted or a petition has been filed.
PROTECTIVE CUSTODY is when a child is taken into custody for protection as an alleged dependent child pursuant to the Juvenile Act, 42 Pa.C.S. § 6301et seq. or custody may be assumed pursuant to 23 Pa.C.S. § 6315.
REASONABLE AND PRUDENT PARENT STANDARD is the standard, characterized by careful and sensible parental decisions that maintain the health, safety, and best interests of a child while encouraging the emotional and developmental growth of the child, that a caregiver must use when determining whether to allow a child to participate in extracurricular, enrichment, cultural, and social activities.
RECORDING is the means to provide a verbatim account of a proceeding through the use of a court stenographer, audio recording, audio-visual recording, or other appropriate means.
SHELTER CARE FACILITY is a physically unrestricted facility that provides temporary care of a child and is approved by the Department of Public Welfare.
VERIFICATION is a written statement made by a person that the information provided is true and correct to that person's personal knowledge, information, or belief and that any false statements are subject to the penalties of the Crimes Code, 18 Pa.C.S. § 4904, relating to unsworn falsification to authorities.
237 Pa. Code r. 1120