Title 31, FAMILY LAW AND JUVENILE LAW

Sec. 231. "State department", for purposes of IC 31-19-5, refers to the Indiana department of health. As added by P.L.145-2026, SEC.161.

Sec. 232. "State registrar", for purposes of IC 31-19-18 through IC 31-19-25.5, means the person who: (1) is in charge of the division of the Indiana department of health that administers the system of vital records; and (2) has charge of the files and records pertaining to vital…

Sec. 233. "STEVE system", for purposes of IC 31-19-20, IC 31-19-25, and IC 31-19-25.5, refers to the State and Territorial Exchange of Vital Events Exchange System, administered by the National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems. As added by P.L.145-…

Sec. 234. (a) "Substantially burden", for purposes of IC 31-42, means: (1) constraining, inhibiting, curtailing, or denying the right of a parent, either directly or indirectly; or (2) compelling any action contrary to the right of a parent; to direct the upbringing, religious in…

Sec. 235. "Substantiated", when used in reference to a child abuse or neglect report made under IC 31-33, means a determination regarding the status of the report whenever facts obtained during an assessment of the report provide a preponderance of evidence that child abuse or ne…

Sec. 236. "Successful adulthood services", for purposes of IC 31-25 and IC 31-28, means services for youth that are designed to assist youth who will age out of foster care with the skills and abilities necessary or desirable to be self-reliant, including housing and educational …

Sec. 237. "Supervised independent living arrangement", for purposes of IC 31-28-5.8 and IC 31-34-21-7.5, means a living arrangement that provides housing for a youth that is not supervised on site, such as a dormitory, an apartment, or shared housing, and is not a foster home, ho…

Sec. 238. "Support enforcement agency", for purposes of the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act under IC 31-18.5, has the meaning set forth in IC 31-18.5-1-2. As added by P.L.145-2026, SEC.161.

Sec. 239. (a) "Support order", for purposes of IC 31-16-15 and IC 31-16-16, means any judgment, decree, or order of child support, including medical support, issued by a court, in Indiana or another state, that has jurisdiction over the support order. The term includes orders iss…

Sec. 24. "Birth parent", for purposes of IC 31-19-17 through IC 31-19-25.5, means: (1) the woman who is legally presumed under Indiana law to be the mother of biological origin of an adoptee; (2) the man who is legally presumed under Indiana law to be the father of biological ori…

Sec. 240. "Surrogate", for purposes of IC 31-20, means a party to a surrogate agreement who agrees to bear or bears a child that is genetically related to: (1) the party who agrees to bear or bears the child and an intended biological parent; (2) an intended biological parent and…

Sec. 241. "Surrogate agreement", for purposes of IC 31-20, means an agreement that is entered into before the birth of a child between a surrogate and one (1) or more parties and that is intended by the parties at the time that the agreement is made to induce the surrogate to rel…

Sec. 242. "Team", for purposes of IC 31-33-3, refers to a community child protection team appointed under IC 31-33-3. As added by P.L.145-2026, SEC.161.

Sec. 243. "Therapeutic foster family home", for purposes of IC 31-27, means a foster family home: (1) that provides care to: (A) a child; or (B) an individual at least eighteen (18) but less than twenty-one (21) years of age receiving collaborative care under IC 31-28-5.8; who ha…

Sec. 244. "Title IV-D agency" means: (1) the bureau of child support established in the department of child services established by IC 31-25-3-1; or (2) a designated agent of the department described in IC 31-25-4-13.1. As added by P.L.145-2026, SEC.161.

Sec. 245. "Title IV-D case", for purposes of IC 31-16-15, means a case arising under Title IV-D of the federal Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 651 through 669). As added by P.L.145-2026, SEC.161.

Sec. 246. "Transitional services plan", for purposes of IC 31-25-2-21, IC 31-34-15, and IC 31-37-19, has the meaning set forth in IC 31-25-2-21(a). As added by P.L.145-2026, SEC.161.

Sec. 247. "Tribe", for purposes of the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Act under IC 31-21, has the meaning set forth in IC 31-21-2-20. As added by P.L.145-2026, SEC.161.

Sec. 248. "Tribunal", for purposes of the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act under IC 31-18.5, has the meaning set forth in IC 31-18.5-1-2. As added by P.L.145-2026, SEC.161.

Sec. 249. "Ultimate authority of the department" refers to the director or the director's designee under IC 31-25-2-11.5. As added by P.L.145-2026, SEC.161.

Sec. 25. "Blind", for purposes of IC 31-25-3, IC 31-25-4, IC 31-28-1, IC 31-28-2, and IC 31-28-3, means an individual who has vision in the better eye with correcting glasses of 20/200 or less, or a disqualifying visual field defect as determined upon examination by an ophthalmol…

Sec. 250. "United States central authority", for purposes of the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act under IC 31-18.5, has the meaning set forth in IC 31-18.5-7-1. As added by P.L.145-2026, SEC.161.

Sec. 251. "Unlicensed kinship caregiver", for purposes of section 109 of this chapter, IC 31-32-2.5, IC 31-34-21-4.5, and IC 31-28-7, means a relative (as defined in section 207(c) of this chapter) who is: (1) providing care and supervision to a child under a court order for purp…

Sec. 252. "Unsubstantiated", for purposes of IC 31-33 and IC 31-39-8-4, means a determination regarding the status of a report made under IC 31-33 whenever facts obtained during an assessment of the report provide credible evidence that child abuse or neglect has not occurred. As…

Sec. 253. (a) "Victim of child abuse or neglect", for purposes of IC 31-32-11-1 and IC 31-33, refers to: (1) a child as described in: (A) IC 31-34-1-1 through IC 31-34-1-5; (B) IC 31-34-1-10; or (C) IC 31-34-1-11; regardless of whether the child needs care, treatment, rehabilitat…

Sec. 254. "Victim of human or sexual trafficking", for purposes of IC 31-34-1-3.5, refers to a child who is recruited, harbored, transported, or engaged in: (1) forced labor; (2) involuntary servitude; (3) prostitution; (4) juvenile prostitution, as defined in IC 35-31.5-2-178.5;…

Sec. 255. "Voluntary information", for purposes of IC 31-19-18, means the information transmitted to the state registrar as provided in IC 31-19-18-3. As added by P.L.145-2026, SEC.161.

Sec. 256. (a) "Wardship", for purposes of the juvenile law, means the responsibility for temporary care and custody of a child by transferring the rights and obligations from the child's parent, guardian, or custodian to the person granted wardship. Except to the extent a right o…

Sec. 257. (a) "Warrant", for purposes of IC 31-25-3 and IC 31-25-4, means an instrument that is: (1) the equivalent of a money payment; and (2) immediately convertible into cash by the payee for the full face amount of the instrument. (b) "Warrant", for purposes of the Uniform Ch…

Sec. 258. "Youth service bureau", for purposes of IC 31-26-1, has the meaning set forth in IC 31-26-1-2. As added by P.L.145-2026, SEC.161.

Sec. 26. (a) "Board", for purposes of IC 31-25-4, has the meaning set forth in IC 31-25-4-34(a). (b) "Board", for purposes of IC 31-26-4, has the meaning set forth in IC 31-26-4-2. As added by P.L.145-2026, SEC.161.

Sec. 27. "Bureau", for purposes of IC 31-16-15 and IC 31-25, has the meaning set forth in IC 31-25-4-1. As added by P.L.145-2026, SEC.161.

Sec. 28. "Case", for purposes of IC 31-33-18-1.5, has the meaning set forth in IC 31-33-18-1.5(d). As added by P.L.145-2026, SEC.161.

Sec. 29. "Caseworker", for purposes of the juvenile law (excluding IC 31-27), means an employee of the department of child services who is classified as a family case manager. As added by P.L.145-2026, SEC.161.

Sec. 3. "Abandoned infant", for purposes of IC 31-34-21-5.6, means a child who is less than twelve (12) months of age and whose parent, guardian, or custodian has knowingly or intentionally left the child in: (1) an environment that endangers the child's life or health; or (2) a …

Sec. 30. "Center", for purposes of IC 31-31-9, means any secure juvenile detention center that operates in a county containing a consolidated city except for a center operated by the federal government. The term includes a juvenile detention facility. As added by P.L.145-2026, SE…

Sec. 31. "Central authority", for purposes of the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act under IC 31-18.5, has the meaning set forth in IC 31-18.5-7-1. As added by P.L.145-2026, SEC.161.

Sec. 32. (a) "Child", for purposes of IC 31-15, IC 31-16 (excluding IC 31-16-12.5), and IC 31-17, means a child or children of both parties to the marriage. The term includes the following: (1) Children born out of wedlock to the parties. (2) Children born or adopted during the m…

Sec. 33. (a) "Child abuse or neglect", for purposes of IC 31-32-11-1, IC 31-33, IC 31-34-7-4, and IC 31-39-8-4, refers to: (1) a child described in IC 31-34-1-1 through IC 31-34-1-5 and IC 31-34-1-8 through IC 31-34-1-11, regardless of whether the child needs care, treatment, reh…

Sec. 34. "Child advocacy center", for purposes of IC 31-25-2-14.5 and IC 31-33-18-2, means a child focused, trauma informed community based organization that: (1) is: (A) recognized by the Indiana Chapter of National Children's Alliance; and (B) designed to collaborate on reports…

Sec. 35. "Child at imminent risk of placement", for purposes of IC 31-26-5, has the meaning set forth in IC 31-26-5-1. As added by P.L.145-2026, SEC.161.

Sec. 36. "Child born in wedlock", for purposes of IC 31-19-9, means a child born to: (1) a woman; and (2) a man who is presumed to be the child's father under IC 31-14-7-1(1) or IC 31-14-7-1(2) unless the presumption is rebutted. As added by P.L.145-2026, SEC.161.

Sec. 37. "Child born out of wedlock", for purposes of IC 31-19-3, IC 31-19-4-4, and IC 31-19-9, means a child who is born to: (1) a woman; and (2) a man who is not presumed to be the child's father under IC 31-14-7-1(1) or IC 31-14-7-1(2). As added by P.L.145-2026, SEC.161.…

Sec. 38. "Child care", for purposes of section 40 of this chapter and IC 31-27, means a service that provides for the care, health, safety, and supervision of a child's social, emotional, and educational growth. As added by P.L.145-2026, SEC.161.

Sec. 39. "Child care provider", for purposes of IC 31-33-26, has the meaning set forth in IC 31-33-26-1. As added by P.L.145-2026, SEC.161.

Sec. 4. (a) "Account", for purposes of IC 31-25-4, has the meaning set forth in IC 31-25-4-3. (b) "Account", for purposes of IC 31-26-1, has the meaning set forth in IC 31-26-1-1. As added by P.L.145-2026, SEC.161.