Terms Used In Delaware Code > Title 16 > Chapter 9 > Subchapter II - Child Protection Registry

• Acquittal:
  1. Judgement that a criminal defendant has not been proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
  2. A verdict of "not guilty."
   
• adult person: means a person of the age of 18 years or older. See Delaware Code Title 1 Sec. 302
• Allegation: something that someone says happened.
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Baby: means a child not more than 14 days old, except that for a safe haven under § 907A(b) of this title and the safe haven's employees and volunteers, "baby" means a child reasonably believed to be not more than 14 days old. See Delaware Code Title 16 Sec. 902
• Child: means any person who has not reached that person's own eighteenth birthday. See Delaware Code Title 16 Sec. 902
• Child welfare proceeding: means any Family Court proceeding and subsequent appeal therefrom involving custody, visitation, guardianship, termination of parental rights, adoption or other related petitions that involve a dependent, neglected or abused child or a child at risk of same as determined by the Family Court. See Delaware Code Title 16 Sec. 902
• convicted: means entry of a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, regardless of whether the plea was subsequently discharged or dismissed under the first offenders domestic violence diversion program pursuant to § 1024 of Title 10, or under the first offenders controlled substances diversion program pursuant to § 4767 of this title, or of a Robinson plea, or of a probation before judgment discharge without judgment of conviction notwithstanding the provisions of § 4218(g) of Title 11, or a finding of guilt after trial, or a finding of not guilty after trial as a result of the defense of mental disease or defect pursuant to Title 11, or adjudication of delinquency for conduct which if committed by an adult, would constitute a crime; or "conviction" or "convicted" under similar proceedings of another state, territory or jurisdiction. See Delaware Code Title 16 Sec. 902
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Department: means the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families. See Delaware Code Title 16 Sec. 902
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• Division: means the Division of Family Services of the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families. See Delaware Code Title 16 Sec. 902
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• Institutional Abuse Investigation Unit: means the unit within the Department that investigates allegations of institutional child abuse and neglect. See Delaware Code Title 16 Sec. 902
• Internal information system: means the Department's system of maintaining information related to all reports of abuse, neglect, investigations, family assessments, services and other relevant information. See Delaware Code Title 16 Sec. 902
• Investigation: means the collection of evidence in response to a report of abuse, neglect, or risk of maltreatment of a child by a person responsible for that child's care, custody or control in order to determine if a child has been abused, neglected, or is at risk of maltreatment. See Delaware Code Title 16 Sec. 902
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Neglect: means as defined in § 901 of Title 10. See Delaware Code Title 16 Sec. 902
• Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
• Physical injury: means as defined in § 1100 of Title 11. See Delaware Code Title 16 Sec. 902
• Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
• Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• Registry: means a collection of information as described in Subchapter II of this chapter about persons who have been substantiated for abuse or neglect as provided in Subchapter II of this chapter or who were substantiated between August 1, 1994, and February 1, 2003. See Delaware Code Title 16 Sec. 902
• Report: means the communication of an allegation of child abuse or neglect to the Department pursuant to § 903 or § 905 of this title. See Delaware Code Title 16 Sec. 902
• Serious physical injury: means as defined in § 1100 of Title 11. See Delaware Code Title 16 Sec. 902
• Sexual abuse: means as defined in § 901 of Title 10. See Delaware Code Title 16 Sec. 902
• State: means the State of Delaware; and when applied to different parts of the United States, it includes the District of Columbia and the several territories and possessions of the United States. See Delaware Code Title 1 Sec. 302
• Substantiation: means a finding by a preponderance of the evidence that abuse or neglect has occurred. See Delaware Code Title 16 Sec. 902
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• United States: includes its territories and possessions and the District of Columbia. See Delaware Code Title 1 Sec. 302
• Venue: The geographical location in which a case is tried.
• Year: means a calendar year, and is equivalent to the words "year of our Lord. See Delaware Code Title 1 Sec. 302