Abandoned Child Definition
A child is considered abandoned when any one of the following circumstances applies:
●Both parents have failed to provide reasonable support and to maintain regular contact with the child, including providing normal supervision, because:
The whereabouts of the parent is unknown
The parent is incarcerated
The parent is institutionalized with a mental or other debilitating illness and it is unrealistic to expect the parent to be able to parent the child
Any other reason where it is clear that a parent is unwilling or unable to parent the child
●There has been a judicial finding that a parent has made only minimal efforts to support and communicate with the child
●The parent(s) has failed to maintain a normal parental relationship with the child without just cause for a period of six months
●The parent(s) has not provided for ninety days, and the non-parent relative believes the parent will not provide the nonparent relative with the means to obtain the basic necessities of life for the child such as food, shelter, clothing, and medically necessary health care