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 |
|---|---|
| Bench | The seat where a judge sits in court. |
| Best Interest Attorney | The court may appoint an attorney to represent the interests of a minor or dependent child with respect to the support, custody and parenting time of the child. |
| Biological Father | The man who fathers a child by impregnating the mother. |
| Board of Supervisors | Local governing body at the county level. |
| Brief | Written statement explaining facts of a case and laws that apply. |
| Burden of Proof | The obligation placed on one of the people in a dispute to prove their allegations in order to obtain relief from the court. |
| Caretaker Relative | A person who receives TANF payments on behalf of a beneficiary incapable of managing the funds. |
| Case | Lawsuit, suit or action being resolved through the court system. |
| Case Law | Law composed of previous written decisions of appellate courts. |
| Case Number | A number assigned by the court to identify your specific case. The case number in domestic relations is usually preceded by one or two letters such as: D, DO, or DR. |
| Central Registry | An entity required by all reciprocating jurisdictions to receive, log and distribute interstate cases. |
| Certified Copy | A copy of a paper which has been signed and certified as a true copy by the officer in whose custody the original is entrusted. |
| Chambers | Private offices of a judge or justice. |
| Chief Justice | Presiding justice of the Arizona Supreme Court. |
| Child Support | An amount of money that a parent must give to another parent to help with the living, medical and educational expenses of a child. |
| Child Support Enforcement Administration | Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) |
| Child Support Guidelines | Standards adopted by the Arizona Supreme Court to guide parents and the courts when determining child support obligations. |
| Child Support Order | A written order from the court that states: which parent must pay child support; which parent will receive child support; the amount of child support payment; how often the payment must be made. |
| Child Support Worksheet | A document, used to enter financial information and calculate the amount of child support according to the Child Support Guidelines. |
| Civil Action | A non-criminal case concerning the claim of one individual or entity against another. |