WILLIAM DONALD SCHAEFER, Governor

can be returned to the natural parent in the immediate future;
and

(iv) a continuation of the relationship between
the natural parent and the child would diminish greatly the
child's prospects for early integration into a stable and
permanent family.

(b)  The court may find that a child is abandoned for
purposes of this section if, after a thorough investigation by
the child placement agency, the court finds that:

(1)  the identity of the child's natural parents is
unknown; and

(2)  no one has claimed to be the child's natural
parent within 2 months of the alleged abandonment of the child.

(c)  In determining whether it is in the best interest of
the child to terminate a natural parent's rights as to the child
in any case, except the case of an abandoned child, the court
shall consider:

(1)  the timeliness, nature, and extent of the
services offered by the child placement agency to facilitate
reunion of the child with the natural parent;

(2)  any social service agreement between the natural
parent and the child placement agency, and the extent to which
all parties have fulfilled their obligations under the agreement;

(3)  the child's feelings toward and emotional ties
with the child's natural parents, the child's siblings, and any
other individuals who may significantly affect the child's best
interest;

(4)  the child's adjustment to home, school, and
community; [and]

(5)  the effort the natural parent has made to adjust
the natural parent's circumstances, conduct, or conditions to
make it in the best interest of the child to be returned to the
natural parent's home, including:

(i) the extent to which the natural parent has
maintained regular contact with the child under a plan to reunite
the child with the natural parent, but the court may not give
significant weight to any incidental visit, communication, or
contribution;

(ii) if the natural parent is financially able,
the payment of a reasonable part of the child's substitute
physical care and maintenance;

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