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 |
|---|---|
| Impeach | A formal accusation by the Arizona House of Representatives that a public official committed misconduct in office. |
| In Forma Pauperis | Latin phrase referring to someone who does not have the financial ability to pay for all or part of the cost of litigation. A person may seek in forma pauperis status in order not to have to pay filing fees or the cost of serving papers on the other person. Sometimes this is abbreviated "IFP." |
| In Loco Parentis | Latin phrase referring to a person who, although not the legal or biological parent of the child, has been treated as a parent by the child and established a meaningful parental relationship over a substantial period of time. |
| Income Withholding Order | See "Wage Assignment" for further direction. |
| Incorrigible | Refers to a juvenile who is unmanageable by parents or guardians. Incorrigible offenses include running away and truancy. |
| Indictment | A formal, written accusation by a grand jury charging that a person or business committed a specific crime. |
| Initial Appearance | The first appearance by a party in a criminal case. |
| Initiating Jurisdiction | A county, district or state in which a legal action is initiated. Used most often in reference to interstate cases. |
| Injunction | An order of the court directing a person not to do certain things. For example an injunction in a dissolution case orders the spouses not to sell any of the community property. |
| Insolvency | Inability or lack of means to pay debts. |
| Intercept | Seizure of federal or state tax refund of the obligator, or lottery winnings for application to a child support obligation. |
| Interest on Support Arrearage | The annual rate of interest on support arrearages in Arizona is 10%. |
| Interrogatories | Written questions of one person, which are served on the other person, who must answer by written replies under oath. |
| Interstate | A case which involves two or more states. |
| Intrastate | A case which involves two or more courts within a state. |
| Irretrievably Broken | The standard used in Arizona by the court to decide if a divorce should be granted. It means that there is no reasonable chance that the spouses will agree to stay married. |
| IV-A | Title IV-A of the federal Social Security Act is that portion of the federal law covering the public assistance program. |
| IV-A Referral | The notice (now automatically provided through computer interface) provided to IV-D by IV-A when an applicant/recipient is determined to be eligible for public assistance benefits. |
| IV-D | "Four D" refers to the title in the federal Social Security Act under which the Office of Child Support is reimbursed for providing service to persons who receive public assistance or who otherwise apply for their services. |
| IV-D Agency | The entity responsible to administer the State Plan under Title IV-D of the Social Security Act, which in Arizona is the Department of Economic Security. |