In the fall of 2024, the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) mailed letters to parents who once had an open dependency and/or severance case.
Did you receive a letter? Visit the DCS letter page for more information.
Family Law
Glossaries
| Term | Main definition |
|---|---|
| Access | The schedule of time that a child has with each parent. |
| Acquit | To find a criminal defendant not guilty. |
| Action | A dispute taken to court to be settled. Same as "case," "suit" and "lawsuit" when used in the courtroom context. |
| Adjudicate | To make a final decision; to give a judgment or a decree. |
| Administrative Process | A quasi-judicial system created by statute or rule to determine legal rights. |
| Admissible | Evidence that is properly introduced in a trial. |
| Adversary System | Method used in the courts of the United States to settle legal disputes. Both individuals in the case tell their story to the judge and/or jury for resolution. |
| Affiant | Someone who makes and signs an affidavit. |
| Affidavit | A written statement of fact, signed and sworn to in front of a notary or a person who has the right to administer an oath. |
| Affirm | To uphold a decision made by a lower court. |
| Age of Majority | Age at which the duty of support terminates. Currently age 18 in Arizona unless the child is actually attending high school, a certified high school equivalency program, or is disabled. |
| AHCCCS | Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System. |
| Aid to Families with Dependent Children | A category of public assistance paid on behalf of children who are deprived of support by one or both of their parents due to disability, or continued absence (including desertion) from the home. |
| Alimony | Support for a spouse or former spouse ordered by the court, this arrangement may be temporary or permanent. In a IV-D case this can be enforced only when there is an accompanying child support order. Also known as Spousal Maintenance. |
| Alleged Father | A person who has been named as the father of a child born out of wedlock, but for whom paternity has not yet been established. |
| Alternate Deduction | If a parent provides support for a child that is not the subject of this action, and for which there is no court order for support, the parent may include this monthly support amount in the child support calculation; however, the alternate deduction may not exceed the standard deduction that is automatically calculated |
| Alternate Parenting Plan | The children are with one parent on specified holidays in even years and with the other parent in odd years. |
| Alternative Dispute Resolution | A process to resolve a dispute in lieu of traditional litigation (e.g. mediation, arbitration or settlement conferences). |
| Annualize Paid Amounts | Monthly figures are used to calculate the child support obligation. Any adjustments to the child support amount shall be annualized so that the child support obligation every month is increased or decreased in an equal amount, instead of the obligation for particular months being abated, increased or decreased. Example: A parent incurs childcare costs of $150 per month, but only for nine months of the year. Multiply $150 by nine for a total of $1350. Divide $1350 by 12 months to arrive at an annualized monthly adjustment of $113. |
| Annulment | A court process to declare that the persons were never legally married to begin with, because at the time of the marriage something was so wrong that no legal relationship could be established by marriage. |