If a child is in the custody of the division and has been placed and resides in a foster home and the division institutes proceedings under this chapter regarding the child, with an ultimate goal of having the child’s foster parent or parents adopt the child, the juvenile court shall consider:

(1) whether the child has become integrated into the foster family to the extent that the child’s familial identity is with the foster family;

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Terms Used In Utah Code 80-4-304

  • Child: means , except as provided in Section 80-2-905, an individual who is under 18 years old. See Utah Code 80-1-102
  • Disposition: means an order by a juvenile court, after the adjudication of a minor, under Section 80-3-405 or 80-4-305 or Chapter 6, Part 7, Adjudication and Disposition. See Utah Code 80-1-102
  • Division: means the Division of Child and Family Services created in Section 80-2-201. See Utah Code 80-4-102
(2) whether the foster family is able and willing permanently to treat the child as a member of the family;
(3) the love, affection, and other emotional ties existing between the child and the parents, and the child’s ties with the foster family;
(4) the capacity and disposition of the child’s parents from whom the child was removed as compared with that of the foster family to give the child love, affection, and guidance and to continue the education of the child;
(5) the length of time the child has lived in a stable, satisfactory foster home and the desirability of the child continuing to live in that environment;
(6) the permanence as a family unit of the foster family; and
(7) any other factor that the juvenile court considers relevant to a particular placement of a child.