| Adoption Assistance & Child Welfare Act |
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| The Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 (Act) was passed by Congress in 1980. Lawmakers were concerned that many children were being removed from their homes unnecessarily and that, once they entered foster care, inadequate efforts were made to either reunify them with their biological families or place them with adoptive families. The Act was passed to correct or alleviate problems in the foster care system and to promote permanency rather than multiple foster placements. An additional goal of the Act was to encourage social workers to work toward reunification of the family and to avoid long-term foster care for the children if possible. If the child could not be returned to the family, another plan was to be sought such as adoption, long-term foster care, or some other resolution. More... |
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| The Child Witness |
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| It is very difficult for children to be witnesses in a trial. In order to determine if a child should testify in a trial, the attorney should consider numerous factors.
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| Tax Considerations Relating to Child Support |
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| For federal income tax purposes, payments of child support are not tax-deductible by the parent who makes the payments but child support is tax-free to the recipient. In order to qualify as child support, the amounts an ex-spouse receives must be designated as child support in the divorce or separation agreement. None of a payment that is lumped together as either family support or alimony is considered child support for tax purposes. In addition, family support or alimony is taxable to the recipient. More... |
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| Notice Requirements, Leave, and Enforcement of the Family Medical Leave Act |
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| The employer is required to keep and post a notice of the FMLA requirements in an open and obvious location for its employees to see. The notice should contain information about filing complaints if the employer fails to comply with the requirements of the FMLA. The information should also address issues regarding the employee's rights and the employer's obligations under the FMLA.
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| Contested Adoptions Initiated by a Biological Parent |
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| The consent of the biological parent or guardian of the child must be obtained before a valid adoption can take place, unless there has been a waiver or forfeiture of parental rights. Therefore, if it can be shown that the biological parent or guardian did not consent to the adoption, there may be sufficient grounds upon which to set it aside.More... |
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