Penny K. Zhitomi
abuse - any intentional, nonaccidental injury, harm, or sexual abuse inflicted on a child.
adult - a person who, because he/she is l 8 years or older, is presumed, in law, to be independent and capable of malting decisions for him/herself.
child - a person who, because he/she is less than 18 years of age, is presumed, in law, to be dependent and incapable of malting decisions for him/herself.
compulsory - obligatory; required.
curfew - an order or regulation enjoining specified classes of a population to retire from the streets at a prescribed hour.
emergency placement - occurs when a child is believed to be threatened with imminent risk of death or serious bodily harm; the state is authorized to place him/her under care and custody pending a hearing.
ground for intervention - defines circumstances under which the state is authorized to investigate and/or to modify or terminate the legal relationship between a child and his/her parents.
neglect - the responsible caretaker’s nonprovision of care essential to a child, such as food, clothing, shelter, medical attention, education, or supervision.
parent - adults who have the right and responsibility, in law, to make decisions for their child.
parental autonomy - the right of parents to raise their children as they think best, in accordance with their own notions of child rearing.
temporary placement - a child is placed under the temporary care of adults who are not his/her parents. The goal here is to assure a reunion with the child’s parents as quickly as possible.
violation of family integrity - occurs when the state coercively intrudes between parent and child except as authorized by a ground for intervention.
