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.
