§7 Glossary

Children’s Division Glossary "C"

Section 7 is the glossary and reference chapters. The terms in this glossary are legal, medical, psychological, and practice terms commonly used by Children’s Division (CD). However, some of the definitions may not reflect the meaning that the general public uses.

Select a letter from the row below or scroll down to browse the index. Then select a topic from the index list.

- C -

CALCIFICATION:
Formation of bone. The amount of calcium deposited can indicate via x-rays the degree of healing of a broken bone or the location of previous fractures which have healed prior to the x-ray.
CALLUS:
New meshwork of “woven” bone formed during the healing process of a fracture. The callus is replaced by hard adult bone.
CALVARIUM:
Dome-line portion of the skull.
CAPIAS:
A legal writ or process commanding an officer to arrest the person named in it.
CARE, CUSTODY AND CONTROL:
Care, custody and control means the exercise of supervision over a child under age 18 through the ability to control, dictate, coerce, persuade or require a child to act or perform in some desired manner. This type of control or supervision can only be exercised by a person who has parental authority or by a person to whom such authority has been granted by the person who actually has such authority. Parental authority as used here is the responsibility for the care, nurturance and socialization of the child, including providing for physical and emotional needs of a child.
CAREGIVER’S PROTECTIVE CAPACITIES:
Caregiver’s Protective Capacities refer to knowledge, ability and/or willingness of individuals in the household responsible for the child's care, to protect a child from the threat of serious harm.
CARTILAGE:
The hard connective tissue that is not bone, but, in the unborn and growing child, may be the forerunner of bone before calcium is deposited in it.
CASE MANAGER:
The Children’s Service Worker in the county of juvenile court jurisdiction who has the responsibility for coordinating all services delivered to a child and his/her family. The case manager may or may not provide all of these services directly, but must ensure that the services needed to accomplish the objectives of the case plan are made available through direct provision, referral, or purchase (includes all types of contracted services). For Division adoptive placements, the case manager is the worker assigned to the adoptive family effective on the date the child is placed with a specific family.
CASE MANAGEMENT:
A Children’s Service Worker responsible to engage families and assess their service needs which will be addressed by direct and/or contracted services. Regardless of the method of service delivery chosen, the worker is directly responsible for evaluating the family needs, devising a treatment plan with the family, and ensuring families are provided services which are goal-oriented and time-limited.
CASE PLAN:
A written document which describes the social and child welfare services and activities to be provided by the Division and other state and local agencies for the purpose of achieving a permanent familial relationship for the child. Also, see Children’s Services Forms Manual, instructions for form CS-1 and 13 CSR 40 - 30.010 found in the Reference Book, Missouri Laws Relating to the Children’s Division (CD).
CELLULITIS:
Inflammation of the loose tissue right underneath the skin.
CENTRAL REGISTRY:
The Central Registry is contained within the Division’s Information System. It contains only those persons where the Division’s finding is “preponderance of evidence”, “probable cause” or “court adjudicated.”  The Central Registry will eventually include the names of individuals who have pled guilty or been found guilty of crimes found in Chapters 565, 566, 567, 568, and 573, RSMo.
CEPHALIC:
Toward the head.
CEREBRAL:
Pertaining to the brain.
CEREBRAL EDEMA:
Brain swelling, which may be associated with bleeding into the tissues of the brain (contusion of the brain).
CEREBRAL PALSY:
A group of disorders caused by damage to the various muscle control centers of the brain. Approximately 10,000 babies are born each year in the United States with this condition, and 2,000 more children acquire it through head injuries. It is a result of brain damage before, during, or after birth. One of the most common causes is lack of sufficient oxygen reaching the fetal or newborn brain as a result of an unusual birth position, prolonged labor, or damage to the umbilical cord. In general, children with cerebral palsy have problems controlling motor functions. Gross motor skills such as sitting or walking may be difficult for the child with cerebral palsy. Development of fine motor skills, such as writing and eating, may also be hindered. There are many different types of cerebral palsy. Children with cerebral palsy may or may not be mentally retarded.
CERTIFIED STATUS:
The condition of relative family resource providers that indicates a certificate of approval has been issued, based upon compliance with assessment guidelines for relatives. It is a necessary condition for the full-time care of relative children in the Children’s Division’s care and custody.
CHAFEE FOSTER CARE INDEPENDENCE PROGRAM (CFCIP):
A federal program created in 1999 with the passage of the Foster Care Independence Act. This program provides services to both youth in foster care who are preparing to transition to adulthood and youth 18-21 who have already left foster care and need assistance.
CHAFEE INDEPENDENT LIVING PLAN:
In compliance with federal law, youth ages 16-21 must have the CS-1 ATT (Independent Living Case Plan) attached to the CS-1, Children’s Services Case Plan. The CS-1 ATT is based on the CS-3, Life Skills Inventory and both forms are to be completed by the first six-month Family Support Team meeting (formerly PPR), and annually thereafter. The case manager shares the youth’s independent living case plan with the juvenile court for the dispositional hearing in order that the court may address the services that a youth needs to transition from out-of-home care to independent living.
CHAFEE INDEPENDENT LIVING PROGRAM (ILP):
The Independent Living Program operates to empower youth ages 15-21 who have experienced out-of-home care, to develop the potential to become self sufficient yet interdependent with the community and to successfully transition into adult living.
CHANGE OBJECTIVE:
Those behaviors or circumstances which a family, parent or child have targeted as a part of the treatment plan as needing alteration. Frequently, these items are stated as goals to be achieved, or methods by which a behavior, or circumstance is to be altered.
CHARACTER:
A combination of qualities or features that distinguishes one person, group or thing from another.
CHILD:
A person under 18 years of age subject to parental control, guardian control or legal custody. Also includes children declared homeless, dependent, neglected or who have committed a status offense and who are committed to the Division for care, custody, and control or who have been placed under the supervision of the Division by a juvenile court.
CHILD CARE:
Care of a child away from his/her own parent for any part of 24-hour day, for compensation or otherwise. Child care provided by a family or center is a voluntary supplement to parental responsibility for the child’s protection, development, and supervision.
CHILD CARE CENTER:
A facility other than the provider’s permanent residence, or separate from the provider’s living quarters, where care is provided for children for any part of the 24 hour day.
CHILD CARE FACILITY:
A child care home or a child care center, whether known or incorporated under another title or name.
CHILD CARE FAMILY HOME:
A family home, occupied as a permanent residency by the child care provider, in which family-like care is given to more than ten (10) children, not related to the child care provider, for any part of the 24-hour day.
CHILD PROTECTION SYSTEM:
As defined in 210.109.2, RSMo., the child protection system shall seek to promote the safety of children and the integrity and preservation of their families by conducting investigations or family assessments in response to reports of child abuse or neglect. The system shall endeavor to coordinate community resources and provide assistance or services to children and families identified to be at risk, and to prevent and remedy child abuse and neglect.
CHILDREN’S SERVICE WORKER:
The worker assigned to provide direct services to parents/child(ren).
CHILDREN’S TREATMENT SERVICES (CTS):
Services purchased by the Division from contracted providers.
CHILD VULNERABILITY:
A child's capacity for self-protection. Vulnerability also involves the susceptibility to suffer more severe consequences based on health, size, mobility, social/emotional state, and/or access to individuals who can provide protection.
CHIP FRACTURE:
(See FRACTURE.)
COERCE:
To force an individual to act or think in a given manner.
COLIC:
Acute abdominal pain with intermittent cramps, common in infants and younger children.
COLLATERAL:
Anyone with personal knowledge of a family or child.
COLLUSION:
A secret agreement between two or more persons for deceitful or fraudulent purposes.
COLON:
The large intestine.
COMMITMENT:
An order by a court of appropriate jurisdiction ordering the care, custody, and treatment of a juvenile.
COMMINUTED FRACTURE:
(See FRACTURE.)
COMMUNITY COUNCIL:
As related to child abuse/neglect, an independent group of citizens organized to support CA/N activities through public education, resource development and advocacy.
COMPACT STATE:
A state which is a statutory member of the Inter-state Compact for the Placement of Children (ICPC).
COMPETENCY:
A witness' ability to observe, recall and recount under oath what happened.
COMPOUND FRACTURE:
(See FRACTURE.)
CONCURRENT PLANNING:
A process of working towards reunification while at the same time, establishing and implementing an alternative (contingency back-up) permanency plan for a child. Concurrent rather than sequential planning efforts are utilized to more quickly move a child from the uncertainty of foster care to the security of a safe and stable permanent family (National Resource Center for Foster Care and Permanency Planning).
CONCUSSION:
An injury of a soft structure resulting from violent shaking or jarring; usually refers to a brain concussion. It can be associated with loss of consciousness and nausea. The diagnosis is not confirmed by x-ray. X-ray will only show whether or not there was a fracture of the bones of the skull. There can be a skull fracture without concussion and concussion without skull fracture.
CONDUCT DISORDERS:
Patterns of extreme disobedience in youngsters, including theft, vandalism, lying, acts of aggression, and early drug use.
CONFESSION:
A formal declaration of guilt.
CONGENITAL:
Refers to any physical condition present at birth, regardless of its cause.
CONJUNCTIVA:
The mucous membrane that lines the inner surface of the eyelid and the exposed surface of the eyeball.
Consent or lack of consent may be expressed or implied. Assent does not constitute consent if:
  1. It is given by a person who is legally incompetent to authorize the conduct charged to constitute the offense and such incompetence is manifest or known to the actor; or
  2. It is given by a person who by reason of youth, mental disease or defect, or intoxication, is manifestly unable or known by the actor to be unable to make a reasonable judgment as to the nature or harmfulness of the conduct charged to constitute the offense; or
  3. It is induced by force, duress or deception.
CONSERVATOR:
A person or corporation appointed by the probate court to have care and custody of the estate of a minor or disabled person until such appointment is terminated by the court. (Section 475.010, RSMo.)
CONTUSION:
A wound producing an injury to soft tissue without break in the skin, causing bleeding into surrounding tissues.
CORNER FRACTURE:
(See FRACTURE.)
CORPORAL PUNISHMENT:
Infliction of pain by an adult upon the body of a child as penalty for doing something which has been disapproved of by the punisher.
COTREX:
Outer layer of an organ or other body structures.
COUNSEL:
Representation by a person who is proper or sufficient to be recognized by law.
COURT ADJUDICATED:
When a court of competent jurisdiction (i.e., circuit, criminal or juvenile divisions) sustains in writing the Division’s determination of “preponderance of evidence”, "Probable Cause" or, in family assessments, "Services Needed" for a specific CA/N incident. The "Court Adjudication" finding shall be used when the conclusion of the family assessment or investigation matches the findings in the court hearing.
COURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATE (CASA):
A community volunteer trained and supervised by a local CASA program and appointed by court order to serve the best interest of a child under that circuit court’s jurisdiction. As an officer of the court, the CASA may serve as a Guardian ad Litem or Friend of the Court, depending upon the program model adopted by the judicial circuit.
COURT JURISDICTION:
The authority of the juvenile Division of the circuit court to act. A child is subject to determination of delinquency, dependency, neglect, abuse, termination of parental rights and adoption. For domestic relations cases (divorce/custody suits) the jurisdiction is under the circuit court.
CRANIUM:
The skull.
CRIME:
An act committed in violation of a law prohibiting it, or omitted in violation of a law ordering it. Crimes are classified as felonies and misdemeanors.
CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE:
A person "acts with criminal negligence" or is criminally negligent when he fails to be aware of a substantial and unjustifiable risk that circumstances exist or a result will follow, and such failure constitutes a gross deviation from the standard of care which a reasonable person would exercise in the situation.
CRISIS INTERVENTION:
Services given to a family which ameliorates a presenting family crisis problem.
CRITICAL COLLATERAL/FAMILY INFORMATION:
When a conclusion cannot be determined due to inability to obtain collateral/family interviews within 30 days of the date the report was received and that information is critical to the conclusion.
CRITICAL PSYCHOLOGICAL/MEDICAL/EDUCATIONAL REPORT:
When a conclusion cannot be determined within 30 days of the date the report was received due to the inability to obtain a psychological, medical or educational report that is critical to the decision-making process.
CRUEL AND INHUMANE PUNISHMENT:
Punishment that is bizarre by any community standards such as locking a child in a closet for prolonged periods of time, tying a child to a bed, or severe, brutal, sadistic forms of physical abuse and/or emotional maltreatment.
CUSTODIAL PARENT:
Legal parent with actual physical care of the child.
CUSTODIAN:
Parent, step-parent, adult spouse of a juvenile, guardian, Guardian ad Litem, or a person having legal or actual custody of a juvenile or standing in loco parentis to the juvenile.
CUSTODY:
Missouri statutes refer to several different types of custody. The following definitions are taken from the statutes or interpreted for Division purposes. Legal Custody:  "....the right to the care, custody and control of a child and the duty to provide food, clothing, shelter, ordinary medical care, education, treatment and discipline of a child. (211.021, RSMo.)
CUSTODY/JUDICIAL:
The ability of a juvenile officer or law enforcement officer, pursuant to the juvenile code, to take temporary custody of a child who is in immediate danger and place him/her in the control of child protective services for no longer than 24 hours. (210.125, RSMo.)
The right to the care, custody, and control of a juvenile, and the duty to provide food, clothing, shelter, ordinary medical care, education, treatment and discipline to a juvenile.
CUSTODY/PHYSICAL:
Those persons or agencies designated to provide 24-hour care for a child on a continuous basis. Generally, it is used to differentiate the person or agency caring for the child from that person or agency having "legal custody" of the child.
CUSTODY/PROTECTIVE:
Emergency measure taken to detain a child for 24 hours, often in a hospital or foster home, until a written detention request can be filed. Police, law enforcement officers, or doctors have statutory authority (210.125, RSMo.) to detain minors who are in imminent danger.
CYANOSIS:
Purple or bluish discoloration of skin due to lack of oxygen.