ASFA prohibits the child protection agency from pursuing the Termination of Parental Rights unless the child has been in foster care for

ASFA prohibits the child protection agency from pursuing the Termination of Parental Rights unless the child has been in foster care for

• A. 6-12 months
• B. 9-12 months
• C. 15-22 months
• D. 24-36 months

Answer: (C)

ASFA aims to move children toward permanency by not allowing termination of parental rights to be pursued indefinitely while in foster care. The law sets a threshold: a child must have been in foster care for 15 of the most recent 22 months before pursuing termination of parental rights, with certain exceptions. That 15-to-22-month window is why the correct answer is the 15–22 months option. Shorter timeframes don’t meet the statute’s minimum, and a much longer duration isn’t the standard trigger for TPR under ASFA, which is designed to promote timely permanency while still protecting safety.

ASFA aims to move children toward permanency by not allowing termination of parental rights to be pursued indefinitely while in foster care. The law sets a threshold: a child must have been in foster care for 15 of the most recent 22 months before pursuing termination of parental rights, with certain exceptions. That 15-to-22-month window is why the correct answer is the 15–22 months option. Shorter timeframes don’t meet the statute’s minimum, and a much longer duration isn’t the standard trigger for TPR under ASFA, which is designed to promote timely permanency while still protecting safety.