Vocabulary — Family & Home Life
Words are tools. This page holds every key word for this part of the school, drawn from the lessons themselves: how to spell each word, what it means in plain language, and one sentence to remember it by.
See every vocabulary page in this school
Adjustment of status
Spells: Adjustment of status
What it means: the process, where the law allows it, by which a person already in the United States becomes a permanent resident without departing for consular processing abroad.
Where you meet it: in the lesson “Advocacy” in this school.
Advocate
Spells: A-d-v-o-c-a-t-e
What it means: a trained support person, often with a hotline or agency, who helps a victim with safety planning, options, and connections to services.
A sentence to remember it by: Ask whether animals are hurt or threatened, note it, and include it in referrals to advocates, who may know local options.
Arraignment
Spells: A-r-r-a-i-g-n-m-e-n-t
What it means: the first court appearance, where the charge is read and a plea is entered.
Where you meet it: in the lesson “Effects on You, Your Kids, Your Family, Your Housing, and Your Job” in this school.
Arrears
Spells: A-r-r-e-a-r-s
What it means: unpaid support that has come due and remains owed; a recorded debt owed to the child.
A sentence to remember it by: Arrears managed openly shrink; arrears hidden from grow teeth.
Care and protection
Spells: Care and protection
What it means: the type of court case in which a judge decides custody and services for a child DCF believes is at risk.
A sentence to remember it by: Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-422-4453 — 24/7 guidance for parents, caregivers, and anyone worried about a child.
Child support agency
Spells: Child support agency
What it means: the state program that helps establish parentage and orders and collects and distributes payments.
A sentence to remember it by: Through the state child support agency.
Child support order
Spells: Child support order
What it means: the court or agency order stating who pays support, who receives it, the amount, and when it is owed.
A sentence to remember it by: Through the state child support agency.
Coercive control
Spells: Coercive control
What it means: ongoing tactics — isolation, monitoring, threats, and control of money, movement, or communication — that strip a person's freedom even without a new physical assault.
Where you meet it: in the lesson “Advocacy” in this school.
Collateral consequences
Spells: Collateral consequences
What it means: the civil and practical effects of a charge or conviction beyond the sentence: housing, jobs, licenses, custody, immigration.
A sentence to remember it by: The consequences nobody warns you about — "collateral consequences" The sentence is only part of the price.
Continuance without a finding (CWOF)
Spells: Continuance without a finding (CWOF)
What it means: a disposition where the case is continued and, if probation is completed, dismissed; it still appears on a record in important ways.
A sentence to remember it by: Court dates, possible motions, and often a continuance without a finding (CWOF) or plea negotiation — many cases resolve without a full trial.
CORI
Spells: C-O-R-I
What it means: Criminal Offender Record Information: Massachusetts' criminal record system.
A sentence to remember it by: (Legal aid organizations seal CORIs at free clinics.) 3.
Custodial parent
Spells: Custodial parent
What it means: the parent the child lives with most of the time; generally the parent who receives support.
A sentence to remember it by: Custodial parent — the parent the child lives with most of the time; generally the parent who receives support.
DCF
Spells: D-C-F
What it means: the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families, the child-welfare agency.
A sentence to remember it by: On your kids and family: DCF involvement.
Deed
Spells: D-e-e-d
What it means: the legal document that shows and transfers ownership of real estate.
A sentence to remember it by: Deeds and wills deserve a pause and a second reader.
Disposition
Spells: D-i-s-p-o-s-i-t-i-o-n
What it means: the final outcome of a case (dismissal, conviction, CWOF, etc.).
A sentence to remember it by: Disposition — the final outcome of a case (dismissal, conviction, CWOF, etc.).
Document trail
Spells: D-o-c-u-m-e-n-t-t-r-a-i-l
What it means: the dated records — statements, receipts, copies, notes — that show what happened to money or property.
A sentence to remember it by: Myth: A signed document settles everything, even if the person was pressured.
Domestic violence
Spells: Domestic violence
What it means: a pattern of harmful behavior used to control a partner or family member, which can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic, or technological.
A sentence to remember it by: Myth: Domestic calls are private family business police should exit quickly.
Elder financial exploitation
Spells: Elder financial exploitation
What it means: the illegal or improper use of an older adult's money, property, or assets, often by someone the elder knows and trusts.
A sentence to remember it by: Myth: Elders who are sharp and independent can't be exploited.
Enforcement
Spells: E-n-f-o-r-c-e-m-e-n-t
What it means: the tools a court or agency uses to collect unpaid support, from income withholding to liens and license actions.
A sentence to remember it by: Withholding a child is not an enforcement tool.
Evidence preservation
Spells: Evidence preservation
What it means: taking timely, proper steps so records remain available and usable — before they are altered, spent, or "lost."
A sentence to remember it by: Where evidence supports a crime, charging decisions sit with prosecutors, and many cases proceed without an enthusiastic victim.
Family fraud
Spells: F-a-m-i-l-y-f-r-a-u-d
What it means: the taking or misuse of a person's money, property, accounts, or rights by a relative, caregiver, or other trusted person.
A sentence to remember it by: Warning Signs Inside a Family No single sign proves family fraud.
Fiduciary
Spells: F-i-d-u-c-i-a-r-y
What it means: a person legally bound to act in another person's best interest, keep records, and keep that person's money separate from their own.
A sentence to remember it by: ☐ Any power of attorney in my family names a fiduciary who keeps records, and I know it can be revoked.
Forgery
Spells: F-o-r-g-e-r-y
What it means: making or signing a document or signature falsely, so it appears to come from someone else.
A sentence to remember it by: Forgery — making or signing a document or signature falsely, so it appears to come from someone else.
Green Card
Spells: G-r-e-e-n-C-a-r-d
What it means: the common name for the Permanent Resident Card, the standard evidence of lawful permanent residence.
A sentence to remember it by: Myth: A Green Card is the same as citizenship.
Guidelines
Spells: G-u-i-d-e-l-i-n-e-s
What it means: the standard method set in state law for calculating support from income, the child's costs, and the parenting-time arrangement.
A sentence to remember it by: Guidelines — the standard method set in state law for calculating support from income, the child's costs, and the parenting-time arrangement.
Immediate relative
Spells: Immediate relative
What it means: a statutory category for certain close relatives of U.S. citizens that Congress did not subject to an annual numerical limit.
A sentence to remember it by: Immediate relative — a statutory category for certain close relatives of U.S.
Income withholding
Spells: Income withholding
What it means: payment of support by an employer deducting it from a paycheck and sending it through the state system.
A sentence to remember it by: Each side provides financial information: income, expenses, the child's needs, health insurance, and childcare costs.
Inheritance
Spells: I-n-h-e-r-i-t-a-n-c-e
What it means: money or property a person receives after another person's death; expecting it never makes taking it early lawful.
A sentence to remember it by: Fact: An expected inheritance is not ownership today.
Joint account
Spells: J-o-i-n-t-a-c-c-o-u-n-t
What it means: a bank account owned by two or more people, where each can generally deposit and withdraw.
A sentence to remember it by: Joint account — a bank account owned by two or more people, where each can generally deposit and withdraw.
Kinship placement
Spells: Kinship placement
What it means: placement of a child with relatives or familiar adults when the child cannot stay at home.
A sentence to remember it by: Kinship placement — placement of a child with relatives or familiar adults when the child cannot stay at home.
Lawful permanent resident (LPR)
Spells: Lawful permanent resident (LPR)
What it means: a noncitizen authorized to live and work permanently in the United States; evidenced by a Permanent Resident Card (Green Card).
A sentence to remember it by: citizen or a lawful permanent resident to petition for a relative to immigrate.
Ledger
Spells: L-e-d-g-e-r
What it means: the official payment record kept by the state system; the record courts and agencies rely on.
A sentence to remember it by: Ledger — the official payment record kept by the state system; the record courts and agencies rely on.
Lethality risk
Spells: L-e-t-h-a-l-i-t-y-r-i-s-k
What it means: factors that raise concern that abuse could become fatal, such as escalating threats, weapons, strangulation, and attempts to leave.
A sentence to remember it by: Lethality risk — factors that raise concern that abuse could become fatal, such as escalating threats, weapons, strangulation, and attempts to leave.
Mandated reporter
Spells: Mandated reporter
What it means: a professional required by law to report reasonable suspicion of child abuse or neglect.
A sentence to remember it by: Mandated reporter — a professional required by law to report reasonable suspicion of child abuse or neglect.
Mandated reporting
Spells: Mandated reporting
What it means: the legal duty of certain professionals to report suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of vulnerable adults to the designated agency.
A sentence to remember it by: Where children or dependent adults are in the home, follow your mandated reporting duties as well.
Modification
Spells: M-o-d-i-f-i-c-a-t-i-o-n
What it means: the formal process of asking a court or agency to change an order because circumstances have changed substantially.
A sentence to remember it by: Three rules decide whether modification helps or harms.
Naturalization
Spells: N-a-t-u-r-a-l-i-z-a-t-i-o-n
What it means: the legal process by which a lawful permanent resident who meets Congress's requirements becomes a U.S. citizen, completed by the oath of allegiance.
A sentence to remember it by: Naturalization — the legal process by which a lawful permanent resident who meets Congress's requirements becomes a U.S.
Nonimmigrant
Spells: N-o-n-i-m-m-i-g-r-a-n-t
What it means: a person admitted for a temporary, defined purpose — such as study, tourism, or temporary work — as opposed to an immigrant admitted for permanent residence.
Where you meet it: in the lesson “Advocacy” in this school.
Parentage
Spells: P-a-r-e-n-t-a-g-e
What it means: the legal establishment of who a child's parents are; the doorway to support, benefits, and inheritance rights.
A sentence to remember it by: That is parentage — sometimes called paternity when it concerns a father.
Petition
Spells: P-e-t-i-t-i-o-n
What it means: the court document that opens a case, stating what is being asked and why.
A sentence to remember it by: They require credible, visible change on the specific concerns in the petition.
Power of attorney
Spells: Power of attorney
What it means: a legal document in which a person gives another person (the agent) authority to act on financial or legal matters for them.
A sentence to remember it by: A power of attorney is a duty, not a gift.
Preference category
Spells: Preference category
What it means: a family or employment category subject to annual numerical limits, in which waiting lines can form when demand exceeds supply.
A sentence to remember it by: Preference category — a family or employment category subject to annual numerical limits, in which waiting lines can form when demand exceeds supply.
Probation
Spells: P-r-o-b-a-t-i-o-n
What it means: court supervision instead of (or after) incarceration, with conditions you must follow.
A sentence to remember it by: Probation — court supervision instead of (or after) incarceration, with conditions you must follow.
Protective order
Spells: Protective order
What it means: a court order that can require a person to stay away, have no contact, or follow other conditions; specifics and enforcement follow the court and the law.
Where you meet it: in the lesson “Advocacy” in this school.
Restitution
Spells: R-e-s-t-i-t-u-t-i-o-n
What it means: money paid to compensate a victim for losses.
A sentence to remember it by: Restitution — money paid to compensate a victim for losses.
Reunification
Spells: R-e-u-n-i-f-i-c-a-t-i-o-n
What it means: the staged return of a child to a parent's custody under court oversight, after demonstrated change.
A sentence to remember it by: Reunification — the staged return of a child to a parent's custody under court oversight, after demonstrated change.
Safety plan
Spells: S-a-f-e-t-y-p-l-a-n
What it means: a short-term written agreement about immediate steps that will keep a child safe.
A sentence to remember it by: A decision about services and safety.
Sealing
Spells: S-e-a-l-i-n-g
What it means: a legal process that limits who can access your record; expungement erases eligible records entirely.
A sentence to remember it by: Sealing — a legal process that limits who can access your record; expungement erases eligible records entirely.
Separation risk
Spells: S-e-p-a-r-a-t-i-o-n-r-i-s-k
What it means: the well-recognized danger period when a person tries to leave or has recently left a controlling partner.
A sentence to remember it by: Separation risk — the well-recognized danger period when a person tries to leave or has recently left a controlling partner.
Service plan
Spells: S-e-r-v-i-c-e-p-l-a-n
What it means: DCF's written plan of concerns, assigned tasks and services, visitation, and expected outcomes.
A sentence to remember it by: A decision about services and safety.
Sponsor / petitioner
Spells: Sponsor / petitioner
What it means: the citizen, resident, employer, or institution that files a petition on another person's behalf in family and employment pathways.
A sentence to remember it by: Myth: Any relative can sponsor any family member, and approval is quick.
Status
Spells: S-t-a-t-u-s
What it means: the legal category a person holds while in the United States, with its conditions and time limits; distinct from the visa used to travel and from the documents that evidence it.
A sentence to remember it by: Second, a petition is not a status.
Strangulation
Spells: S-t-r-a-n-g-u-l-a-t-i-o-n
What it means: pressure to the neck that impedes breathing or blood flow; a serious reported act that requires careful medical referral and documentation under policy.
A sentence to remember it by: Lethality risk — factors that raise concern that abuse could become fatal, such as escalating threats, weapons, strangulation, and attempts to leave.
Supervised visitation
Spells: Supervised visitation
What it means: parent-child visits observed by an approved person, often with written notes.
A sentence to remember it by: Supervised visitation — parent-child visits observed by an approved person, often with written notes.
Temporary custody
Spells: Temporary custody
What it means: a judge's short-term order about where a child lives while the case proceeds.
A sentence to remember it by: "Temporary" describes the stage, not a guaranteed short stay.
Undue influence
Spells: U-n-d-u-e-i-n-f-l-u-e-n-c-e
What it means: pressure or control strong enough to overpower a person's free decision, especially around money, deeds, or wills.
A sentence to remember it by: Fact: Documents signed under pressure or undue influence can be reviewed and challenged — especially when raised early.
Victim / survivor
Spells: V-i-c-t-i-m-s-u-r-v-i-v-o-r
What it means: terms for a person harmed by abuse; “survivor” is preferred by many advocates, and officers should follow the person's own language where possible.
A sentence to remember it by: Myth: A victim who recants means nothing happened.