42 Pa. C.S. § 6302
The following words and phrases when used in this chapter shall have, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the meanings given to them in this section:
"Age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate." The following:
"Aggravated circumstances." Any of the following circumstances:
"Aggravated physical neglect." Any omission in the care of a child which results in a life-threatening condition or seriously impairs the child's functioning.
"Assessment." An individualized examination of a child to determine the child's psychosocial needs and problems, including the type and extent of any mental health, substance abuse or co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders and recommendations for treatment. The term includes, but is not limited to, a drug and alcohol, psychological and psychiatric evaluation, records review, clinical interview and the administration of a formal test and instrument.
"Board." The State Sexual Offenders Assessment Board.
"Caregiver." A person with whom the child is placed in an out-of-home placement, including a resource family or an individual designated by a county agency or private agency. The resource family is the caregiver for any child placed with them.
"Child." An individual who:
"Court." The court of common pleas.
"Court-appointed special advocate" or "CASA." An individual appointed by the court to participate as an advocate for a child who is dependent or alleged to be dependent.
"Custodian." A person other than a parent or legal guardian, who stands in loco parentis to the child, or a person to whom legal custody of the child has been given by order of a court.
"Delinquent act."
"Delinquent child." A child ten years of age or older whom the court has found to have committed a delinquent act and is in need of treatment, supervision or rehabilitation.
"Dependent child." A child who:
"Facility designed or operated for the benefit of delinquent children." A facility that either identifies itself by charter, articles of incorporation or program description as solely for delinquent children.
"Out-of-home placement." A setting that provides 24-hour substitute care for a child away from the child's parents or guardians and for whom the county agency has placement care and responsibility. The term includes resource family homes and supervised settings in which a child is living and, for a child who has attained 18 years of age, a supervised setting in which the individual is living independently. The term does not include secure facilities, facilities operated primarily for the detention of children who have been adjudicated delinquent, accredited psychiatric residential treatment facilities or hospitals.
"Potential Kinship Care Resource." An individual who meets the requirements to be an emergency caregiver and has expressed a willingness to be a Kinship Caregiver for a dependent child.
"Private agency." An entity that provides out-of-home placement services to children under a contract with a county agency.
"Protective supervision." Supervision ordered by the court of children found to be dependent.
"Reasonable and prudent parent standard." The standard, characterized by careful and sensible parental decisions that maintain the health, safety and best interests of a child while encouraging the emotional and developmental growth of the child, that a caregiver must use when determining whether to allow a child in an out-of-home placement under the responsibility of the county agency to participate in extracurricular, enrichment,cultural and social activities.
"Resource family." As defined under section 3 of the act of November 22, 2005 (P.L.404, No.73), known as the Resource Family Care Act.
"Screening." A process, regardless of whether it includes the administration of a formal instrument, that is designed to identify a child who is at increased risk of having mental health, substance abuse or co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders that warrant immediate attention, intervention or more comprehensive assessment.
"Serious bodily injury." Bodily injury which creates a substantial risk of death or which causes serious, permanent disfigurement or protracted loss or impairment of the function of any bodily member or organ.
"Sexual violence." Rape, indecent contact as defined in 18 Pa.C.S. § 3101 (relating to definitions), incest or using, causing, permitting, persuading or coercing the child to engage in a prohibited sexual act as defined in 18 Pa.C.S. § 6312(a) (relating to sexual abuse of children) or a simulation of a prohibited sexual act for the purpose of photographing, videotaping, depicting on computer or filming involving the child.
"Shelter care." Temporary care of a child in physically unrestricted facilities. A facility approved by the Department of Public Welfare to provide shelter care may be located in the same building as a facility approved to provide secure detention services provided that children receiving shelter care services are segregated from the children receiving secure detention services as required by the department.
42 Pa.C.S. § 6302