Terms Used In Montana Code > Title 42 > Chapter 3 > Part 3 - Requirements of Department or Licensed Child-Placing Agency

• Adoption: means the act of creating the legal relationship between parent and child when it does not exist genetically. See Montana Code 42-1-103
• Adoptive parent: means an adult who has become the mother or father of a child through the legal process of adoption. See Montana Code 42-1-103
• Agency: means a child placement agency licensed by the state of Montana pursuant to Title 52, chapter 8, that is expressly empowered to place children preliminary to a possible adoption. See Montana Code 42-1-103
• Child: means any person under 18 years of age. See Montana Code 42-1-103
• Department: means the department of public health and human services, provided for in 2-15-2201. See Montana Code 42-1-103
• Parent: means the birth or adoptive mother or the birth, adoptive, or legal father whose parental rights have not been terminated. See Montana Code 42-1-103
• Preplacement evaluation: means the home study process conducted by the department or a licensed child-placing agency that:

  (a)assists a prospective adoptive parent or family to assess its own readiness to adopt; and

  (b)assesses whether the prospective adoptive parent or family and home meet applicable standards. See Montana Code 42-1-103