| International Adoption - Home Study |
| United States immigration laws require prospective parents to undergo a "home study" before they can adopt a child from a foreign country. A home study is an investigation into the prospective parents' fitness to raise an adopted child. A home study is conducted by an individual or agency that is licensed by the prospective parents' home state.More... |
| Confidentiality and Juvenile Court Records |
| Almost every state has a law that prohibits to some degree public access to juvenile court records. Each state has statutes establishing the right of access to records created during juvenile delinquency proceedings. More... |
| An Overview of School Discipline |
| School discipline is an issue that may arise with respect to a student's improper activities while attending a public school. Typically, if the student commits an improper act, the situation is handled in an administrative manner without formal judicial review of the student's conduct. However, if the student's conduct was grossly improper or harmed the lives of others, judicial intervention may be necessary and required. More... |
| Special Visitation Problems |
| In a few states, statutes allow the court to consider in the initial custody decision which parent is likely to allow frequent and continuing contact with the other parent. Where the interference has been persistent or has involved hiding the child, the court may even transfer custody from one parent to the other. As a general rule, however, the court will not settle a dispute over visitation by transferring custody because modification may end up disrupting the child's stable home environment. More... |
| Conservators |
| A conservatorship is a legal arrangement in which an individual, a conservator, has court permission and responsibility to manage the affairs of another adult who is in need of assistance, referred to as an incapacitated person. More... |