Termination of Parental Rights

A court order that permanently ends the legal parent-child relationship (e.g., custody, visitation, inheritance). The termination of rights might be voluntary or involuntary, and can be attributed to a number of factors (e.g., abuse; failure to provide education; long-term drug- or alcohol-induced incapacity; legal emancipation; child has developed a healthy relationship with their resource family and articulates a preference to stay under their care).