Family Law Newsletters

A Juvenile's Right to Treatment in an Institutional Facility

The notion of the right to treatment encompasses the concept that after the juvenile has been confined to an institutional facility due to his mental state or condition, he is entitled to receive treatment for his state or condition.

Abortion and Parental Consent

Not only is informed consent required prior to obtaining an abortion; in many states parental consent is required in order for a minor to obtain an abortion. States have different requirements with respect to parental consent.

Adoption Assistance & Child Welfare Act

The Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 (Act) was passed by Congress in 1980. Lawmakers were concerned that many children were being removed from their homes unnecessarily and that, once they entered foster care, inadequate efforts were made to either reunify them with their biological families or place them with adoptive families. The Act was passed to correct or alleviate problems in the foster care system and to promote permanency rather than multiple foster placements. An additional goal of the Act was to encourage social workers to work toward reunification of the family and to avoid long-term foster care for the children if possible. If the child could not be returned to the family, another plan was to be sought such as adoption, long-term foster care, or some other resolution.

Constitutional Rights of Children

The concept of ''children's rights'' is relatively new. For most of history, children were considered chattel and had no rights separate and apart from their parents.

International Adoption - Orphan Petition

Persons who wish to adopt a child from a foreign country must file an "Orphan Petition" with the United States Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The full name of the petition is "Form I-600, Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative."