Title 31, FAMILY LAW AND JUVENILE LAW

Sec. 212. "Residential placement committee", for purposes of IC 31-25-2-23, means a committee that reviews the placement of youth in a child caring institution, a private secure facility, or a group home licensed by the department to ensure that the placement is in the least rest…

Sec. 213. "Respondent", for purposes of the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Act under IC 31-21, has the meaning set forth in IC 31-21-2-18. As added by P.L.145-2026, SEC.161.

Sec. 214. "Responding state", 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. 215. "Responding 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. 216. "Restorative justice services" has the meaning set forth in IC 31-37-8.5-1. As added by P.L.145-2026, SEC.161.

Sec. 216.5. (a) "Reunification services" means all services that are provided: (1) to a parent, guardian, or custodian of a child who is the subject of a petition alleging that the child is a child in need of services; and (2) with the intent of rehabilitating the relationship be…

Sec. 217. "Risk and needs assessment tool" means a validated instrument approved by the judicial conference of Indiana for use at appropriate stages in the juvenile justice system to identify specific risk factors and needs shown to be statistically related to a child's risk of r…

Sec. 218. "Risk screening tool" means a validated screening instrument approved by the judicial conference of Indiana that: (1) measures a child's risk to reoffend; and (2) is used to inform a child's eligibility to participate in juvenile diversion and informal adjustment. As ad…

Sec. 219. "Safe haven infant", for purposes of IC 31-34 and IC 31-35, means a child: (1) who is, or appears to be, not more than sixty (60) days of age; and (2) who has been voluntarily left: (A) by a parent with an emergency medical services provider (as defined in IC 16-41-10-1…

Sec. 22. "Assistance", for purposes of the following statutes, means money or services regardless of the source, paid or furnished under any of the following statutes: (1) IC 31-25-3. (2) IC 31-25-4. (3) IC 31-26-3.5. As added by P.L.145-2026, SEC.161.

Sec. 220. "School", for purposes of section 71 of this chapter and IC 31-39-2-13.8, means a: (1) public school (including a charter school as defined in IC 20-24-1-4); or (2) nonpublic school (as defined in IC 20-18-2-12); that must comply with the education records privacy provi…

Sec. 220.5. "Screened out", with regard to a report of known or suspected child abuse or neglect under IC 31-33, means that the department: (1) received the report under IC 31-33-7; and (2) did not refer the report for investigation under IC 31-33-9 based on the department's dete…

Sec. 221. "Secure detention facility", for purposes of this title, has the meaning set forth in IC 31-40-1-1.5. As added by P.L.145-2026, SEC.161.

Sec. 222. "Secure facility", for purposes of the juvenile law, means a place of residence, other than a shelter care facility, that prohibits the departure of a child. As added by P.L.145-2026, SEC.161.

Sec. 223. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b), "secure private facility", for purposes of the juvenile law, means the following: (1) A facility that is licensed under IC 31-27 to operate as a secure private facility. (2) A private facility that is licensed in another state t…

Sec. 224. "Sending state", for purposes of the Interstate Compact on Juveniles under IC 31-37-23-1, has the meaning set forth in IC 31-37-23-1. As added by P.L.145-2026, SEC.161.

Sec. 225. "Services", for purposes of IC 31-40-1, has the meaning set forth in IC 31-40-1-1.5. As added by P.L.145-2026, SEC.161.

Sec. 226. "Services or items", for purposes of IC 31-36-3, has the meaning set forth in IC 31-36-3-1. As added by P.L.145-2026, SEC.161.

Sec. 227. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b), "shelter care facility", for purposes of the juvenile law, means a place of residence that: (1) is licensed under the laws of any state; and (2) is not locked to prevent a child's departure unless the administrator determines th…

Sec. 228. (a) "Sibling", for purposes of IC 31-19, IC 31-28-5, and IC 31-34 (except for IC 31-34-3-4.5), means a brother or sister by blood, half-blood, or adoption. (b) "Sibling", for purposes of IC 31-34-3-4.5, means: (1) a brother or sister by blood, half-blood, or adoption; a…

Sec. 229. "Spousal support order", 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. 23. "At-risk child" or "at-risk children", for purposes of IC 31-32-3, means a child or children who: (1) are at risk of becoming involved in a juvenile proceeding; (2) are at risk of being suspended or expelled from school; (3) are at risk of dropping out of school; (4) wer…

Sec. 230. (a) "State", for purposes of the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Act under IC 31-21, has the meaning set forth in IC 31-21-2-19. (b) "State", 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. (c) …

Sec. 230.5. "State benefit", for purposes of section 82.5 of this chapter, means any program administered, controlled, or funded by the state that provides any one (1) or more of the following: (1) Cash. (2) Payments. (3) Grants. (4) Contracts. (5) Loans. (6) In-kind assistance. …

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.