ADOPTION AND SAFE FAMILIES ACT

Adoption and Safe Families Act.A 1997 federal law that requires states to  provide safe and

permanent homes for abused and neglected children within shorter periods than those required by

earlier state and federal laws. • The primary focus is on the safety and well-being of the child, in

contrast to previously paramount rights of the parents. The ASFA signaled a dramatic shift in the

philosophy  of  child-protection  proceedings  that  had  controlled  since  1980  under  the  Adoption

Assistance and Child Welfare Act. — Abbr. ASFA. See ADOPTION ASSISTANCE AND CHILD

WELFARE ACT; FOSTER-CARE DRIFT. [Blacks Law 8th]