Florida Child Welfare Case Manager Certification Practice Exam

What standard of proof is required for a TPR adjudicatory?

1. Beyond a reasonable doubt

2. Preponderance of the evidence

3. Clear and convincing evidence

4. No proof required

The correct answer is: Clear and convincing evidence

An adjudicatory is a formal court hearing in which a decision is made after hearing evidence and arguments from both sides. In this context, a TPR (Termination of Parental Rights) adjudicatory is a court hearing to determine whether a parent's rights to their child should be terminated. In order to make such a serious decision, a higher standard of proof is required. This is where "clear and convincing evidence" comes in. It is a higher standard than "preponderance of the evidence," which is the standard used in most civil cases. It means that the evidence presented must be highly and substantially more probable to be true than not true. This reflects the seriousness of the decision being made and ensures that there is strong evidence to support it. The other options, "beyond a reasonable doubt" and "no proof required," are incorrect because the former is the highest standard of