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I-600 and I-600A Visa Petition - An official request to the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) to classify an orphan as an immediate relative - providing expedited processing and issuance of a visa to allow the child to enter the United States after having been adopted abroad or in order to be adopted in the United States.
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Identifying Information - Information on birthparents which discloses their identities.
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Immunity - Established in all child abuse laws to protect reporters from civil lawsuits and criminal prosecution resulting from filing a report of child abuse and neglect.
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Independent Adoption - An adoption arranged privately by a non-licensed third party (i.e., doctor or lawyer) or between the birth family and adoptive parents.
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Independent Living - A type of placement that provides life-skills training to youth to assist them to acquire the skills they will need to live independently as adults. The program is designed for children who are "aging out" of foster care and for whom there is no other permanency plan.
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Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) - Federal Act designed to protect the interest of Native American children and tribes.
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Individualized Educational Plan - IEP, a plan for educational support services and outcomes developed for students enrolled in special education programs.
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Infertility - The inability to conceive or carry a pregnancy to term.
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Initial Assessment or Investigation - The stage of the CPS case process where the CPS caseworker determines the validity of the child maltreatment report, assesses the risk of maltreatment, determines if the child is safe, develops a safety plan if needed to assure the child's protection and determines services needed.
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INS - INS has changed its name to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, now a bureau under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
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Institutionalization - The placement of children in hospitals, institutions or orphanages. Placement in institutions during early critical developmental periods and for lengthy periods is often associated with developmental delays due to environmental deprivation, poor staff-child ratios or lack of early stimulation.
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Intake - The stage of the CPS case process where the CPS caseworker screens and accepts reports of child maltreatment.
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Intercountry or International Adoption - The adoption of a child who is a citizen of one country by adoptive parents who are citizens of a different country.
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International Adoption - Adoption of a child born outside of the United States.
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Interstate Compact - A voluntary agreement between two or more states designed to address common problems of the states concerned.
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Interstate Compact on Adoption and Medical Assistance (ICAMA) - An agreement between member states that governs the interstate delivery of and payment for medical services and adoption assistance payments/subsidies for adopted children with special needs. The agreements are established by the laws of the states which are parties to the compact.
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Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) - An agreement regulating the placement of children across state lines. All 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands have independently adopted the ICPC as statutory law in their respective jurisdictions.
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Interview Protocol - A structured format to ensure that all family members are seen in a planned strategy, that community providers collaborate and that information gathering is thorough.
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