How to Adopt > Glossary - S to Z

Adoption Glossary - S to Z

SACWIS
Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System. SACWIS refers to the system used by states to report child welfare information to the federal government.
SSI, SSI Benefits
Supplemental Security Income is a program through the Social Security Administration that provides monthly cash benefits and, in most states, Medicaid eligibility to persons, including children, with specific, defined, handicapping conditions. Children eligible for SSI must be significantly disabled.
sealed records
In a traditional adoption, sealed records are the birth certificate and other confidential information to which the adoptee is denied access. Sealed records are required under some state laws. In others, records may be sealed until the adoptee reaches the age of majority.
search
In adoption, search may refer to (1) a process used by the agency to locate a missing birthparent in order to notify him/her of rights and responsibilities in regard to a child, (2) a process whereby a birthparent or adoptee seeks information and/or contact with a family member from whom they were separated through adoption proceedings, or (3) the process used by a family and/or the family's worker or agency to attempt to locate a child for the family.
second-parent adoption
The adoption of a child by the unmarried parent's domestic partner. Second-parent adoptions are similar to stepparent adoptions, but are not permitted in every jurisdiction.
self-contained classroom
A separate classroom where students with severe problems can receive special education instruction from one teacher for the majority of the school day.
sending agency
In an interstate adoption, the agency that has custody of the child until finalization, and makes placement decisions for him or her.
service subsidy
An adoption assistance agreement, prepared during the pre-placement period, may include other forms of assistance in addition to a monthly financial payment, such as respite care, medical equipment, or physical therapy.
siblings, sibling group
Brothers and/or sisters, children of the same parent. Many adoption professionals believe that, whenever possible, siblings should be placed together or remain in contact.
sibling group adoption
The adoption of two or more siblings or half-siblings by the same family at the same time.
sliding scale
A scale or table used to determine fees charged for services which allows the fee to be based on the client's ability to pay.
social security, social security benefits, social services benefits
The terms social security benefits or social services benefits may refer to any of a range of services, including Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Social Security Survivors Benefits, Medicaid, and Food Stamps.
social summary
A child assessment or child profile, also called a social summary, is the written document completed by a child's caseworker which provides comprehensive information about the child, including family history; medical, educational, psychological and educational assessments; history of previous placements; and daily routines. Usually completed before an agency begins to recruit families for a child, it should be made available to any family (or family's worker) that the child's agency is seriously considering.
special education
Special education refers to educational programs which are adapted to meet the educational requirements of children with various kinds of special educational needs and learning differences. Special education may involve self-contained classrooms, the use of a resource room, or mainstreaming. A child may be accommodated by a number of possible interventions, such as smaller class sizes, the use of behavioral management techniques in the classroom, the use of computers or other audiovisual equipment, or individually tailored assignments.
special needs
In the context of adoption, under federal guidelines, children with special needs are children who have a condition or history making it difficult to place them without adoption assistance, and who cannot or should not be returned to their birthfamilies. Special needs may refer to a child with specific physical, medical, mental, learning, or emotional disabilities, or may be determined by factors such as age (school-aged children and teens), sibling status, race (in some states), and risk factors such as a family history of mental illness. Guidelines for classifying a child as having special needs vary by state, according to state statute.
special needs child
While this term is still used by some, including the Internal Revenue Service, many people in the adoption community feel it is more appropriate to refer to "a child with special needs" or a "waiting child."
special needs adoption
The adoption of a child with special needs. Generally this includes a more extensive training process and often it involves lower or waived fees.
state adoption specialist
In each of the 50 states, an individual who is the designated authority on adoption for that state. The state adoption specialist is familiar with the laws of that state, and is a resource for complex adoption questions. For contact information for the state adoption specialist for each state, click on the left State and National Resources.
step-parent adoption
The adoption of a child by the parent's new spouse.
subsidy
Many waiting children are entitled to state or federal adoption assistance payments, also called financial assistance or subsidy. These payments are based on a child's needs or eligibility and not on the family's income. They provide a check for the child each month until the child reaches age 19 (sometimes age 21).
supplemental security income
Supplemental Security Income is a program through the Social Security Administration that provides monthly cash benefits and, in most states, Medicaid eligibility to persons, including children, with specific, defined, handicapping conditions. Children eligible for SSI must be significantly disabled.
support group
A group of individuals who share a common concern or experience, who provide support for one another. Many adoptive parents make use of adoptive parent support groups. Parents of children with special needs can find support groups with others whose children share that special need, through organizations or websites that focus on specific disabilities.
Termination of Parental Rights (TPR)
Termination of Parental Rights (TPR) is a court process which permanently ends all legal parental rights of a birthparent to a child. Termination of parental rights can be voluntary or involuntary.
TSS worker
Therapeutic Staff Support worker, or Teacher Support Services worker. A mental health worker who provides direct, one-to-one interventions to a child or adolescent at home, school, day care, or other community-based program or community setting, when the child's behavior, without this intervention, would require a more restrictive setting.
tax credit
A tax credit is an amount that you subtract from your total tax liability. Federal legislation has provided for tax credits for all adoptive families.
therapeutic foster home
A foster home in which the foster parents have received special training to prepare them to care for a wide variety of children and adolescents, usually those with significant emotional or behavioral problems. Foster parents in a therapeutic foster home continue to receive more supervision and assistance from their agency than other foster parents.
Title IV-E
The Title IV-E section of Public Law 96-272, The Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 Title IV-E refers to the Title IV-E section of Public Law 96-272, The Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980, which provides for adoption assistance payments for eligible children. To qualify for Title IV-E adoption assistance programs, a child must be considered to have special needs by state definition, and must have been eligible, before adoption, for either Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), or for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Although AFDC was eliminated in 1996 and replaced by Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF), eligibility for Title IV-E is still determined based on the states' AFDC standards as of June 1, 1995.

Children who qualify for Title IV-E assistance are automatically eligible for federal Medicaid benefits and the child's state of residence is required to provide them. States may also choose to provide Medicaid coverage for children who do not qualify for the federal program, through state funded Title IV-B programs.
Title XX
Title XX of the Social Security Act funds a range of services, including adoption, day care, foster care, child protective services, health related services, and disability services. The funds are used to support state and local programs as well as non-profit programs and services. The act also specifies that states are allowed to use the funds for administration, staff training, and case management directly related to the services funded.

Title XX Social Services is a block grant of money from the federal government to state governments. In some states, the money is passed from the state level to the county level, to local governments, or to non-profit service providers. It was once common practice for states to provide direct services to adoptive families from this money, but at present adoptive families, just like any other families, have access to these funds through other state provided services, such as day care or respite care.
total care
A child requiring total care is one who needs assistance with all daily routines, including personal hygiene, dressing and undressing, feeding, and mobility.
traditional adoption
A closed adoption, also called a traditional adoption, is an adoption in which no identifying information about the birthfamily or the adoptive family is shared, and there is no contact between birthparents and adoptive parents. The adoptive family usually receives non-identifying information about the child and the birthfamily before placement. In a closed adoption, after finalization, the records are sealed and typically are not available to the adopted child.
transportation
In adoption, transportation, or travel refers to arrangements for a prospective adoptive family to meet a child or children they plan to adopt who may live some distance away, through visits. It also refers to the travel needed when the actual placement occurs. When transportation is provided, the child's agency will pay most or all of the travel costs. When it is not, the adoptive family is expected to cover these expenses.
transcultural adoption
Adoption of a child or adolescent of one culture by an adoptive family of another culture. For example, a family of Mexican American heritage might adopt a child of Puerto Rican heritage. Most transracial adoptions are also transcultural.
transracial adoption
Adoption of a child or adolescent of one race by an adoptive family of a different race.
travel
In adoption, transportation, or travel refers to arrangements for a prospective adoptive family to meet a child or children they plan to adopt who may live some distance away, through visits. It also refers to the travel needed when the actual placement occurs. When transportation is provided, the child's agency will pay most or all of the travel costs. When it is not, the adoptive family is expected to cover these expenses.
triad
The three major people in an adoption: birthparent, adoptive parent, and adopted child or adult. The term "adoption triad" has generally replaced the less positive "adoption triangle." "Adoption circle" may also be used.
update (for homestudy)
An addendum, also called an update, is a brief addition made to a homestudy to bring its contents up-to-date, and keep the homestudy current and usable.
videoconference
A conference held among people at remote locations by means of transmitted audio and video signals. Participants in a videoconference can see each other's images on a screen and speak with one another. In adoption, videoconferences may be used for visits between children and prospective adoptive parents who live in another state, for sibling contact, for matching events involving children and families, and for training and education.
visitation
Supervised visiting between a child, usually one who is in a foster care placement, and a family. The family may be members of the birth family, such as the birthmother or siblings, or an adoptive family.
voluntary termination of parental rights
The birthparents of a child voluntarily (of their own desire and choice) make an adoption plan for a child and relinquish their legal rights to the child. Whether termination of parental rights is voluntary or not, it must be done by a court of law.
waiting children
A child who is in the legal care and custory of the Department of Human Services or similar organization of the state in which he or she resides. Many people in the adoption community prefer phrases such as "legally free for adoption" to describe this situation
ward of the state
This term is used to describe children who are in foster care and are legally free for adoption, but for whom no adoptive parents have been located or identified. Most frequently these children are school-aged, part of a sibling group, children of color, or have special physical, emotional, educational or developmental challenges. "Waiting children" is a more inclusive term than "children with special needs."
wrap-around services
Wrap-around services are intensive, community-based mental health services that are provided to children with severe and multiple problems, in order to prevent the need for more restrictive care. Most often used for children with a serious emotional disturbance or mental illness, they may include treatment services as well as personal support services, individualized to address the specific needs of children and their families, and provided by multiple agencies.
wrongful adoption
In a wrongful adoption case, an adoptive parent takes legal action against an adoption agency, seeking a monetary award, based on the claim that the agency failed to disclose or misrepresented information about the child's or birth family's health or background at the time the child was placed with the adoptive parent.