Iowa Admin. Code r. 441-200.1
"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 selection" means the process of making adoption placement decisions. The adoption selection committee team, tasked with making the final adoption placement decision, is made up of department of health and human service professionals. These professionals are brought together to review the child(ren)'s needs and the family's abilities to meet those needs, to make the best adoption match available and to ensure compliance with applicable adoption laws.
"Adoption selection committee team" means department staff members designated to assist in the adoption selection process. The adoption selection committee team consists of the adoption supervisor and a minimum of two adoption workers. The social work administrator (SWA) may elect to be part of the team if there is more than one family seeking to adopt the child, and the SWA may select additional department staff to serve as members of the team on a case-by-case basis.
"Adoption service" means a service directed toward children who are legally available for adoption, the birth family, prospective adoptive family, and adoptive family.
"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.
"Child study" 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.
"Child with special needs" means a child who meets one or more of the criteria set forth in 441-subrule 201.3(1).
"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 Iowa department of health and human services and includes the local offices of the department.
"Family-centered services" means services and other support intended to safely maintain a child with the child's family or with an adult relative; to safely and in a timely manner return a child to the home of the child's parent or relative; or to promote achievement of concurrent planning goals by identifying and helping the child secure placement for adoption, with a guardian, or with other alternative permanent family connections. Family-centered services include services adapted to the individual needs of a family regarding the specific services and other support provided to the child's family and the intensity and duration of service delivery and services intended to preserve a child's connections to the child's neighborhood, community, and family and to improve the overall capacity of the child's family to provide for the needs of the children in the family.
"Foster family adoption" means the adoption of a child by a licensed foster family that 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, and reasons for leaving the placement; relationships; school reports; social, medical, mental health developmental history; and 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.
"Placement services" includes the activities and travel necessary to plan and carry out the placement of a child or children into 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 Iowa Supreme Court returning jurisdiction to the district court after a final appellate decision regarding an appeal.
"Recruitment and retention contractor" or "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" means an individual related to a child within the fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity, by marriage, or through adoption.
"Selection of family" means reviewing approved home studies to match a family's strengths with a specific child's needs.
Iowa Admin. Code r. 441-200.1