At the first hearing, different things will happen. First, if you can`t afford to pay for a lawyer, the judge will appoint one for you. The judge will also appoint a lawyer for your child`s other parent when they appear at the first hearing. Most counties will also appoint a lawyer for your child. The reunification plan may include mandatory parent education, drug and alcohol counselling, domestic violence counselling or family counselling. If, on a subsequent review, the court finds that you have complied with the terms of the reunification plan, it may order the child to return to your care. A reunification plan is an important tool that can help you unite your family. A social worker investigates by talking to you, your child, people you and your family know, and looking at where you live. The social worker can talk to your child at school without you being present. The social worker does not need a court order to talk to your child at school until there is a police officer present when the social worker speaks to your child. After talking to your child at school, the social worker should tell you that they interviewed your child at school.
Once the court has reviewed all the evidence presented at the decision hearing, the court can: If your child has been removed, the first hearing is called a detention hearing and the judge decides whether your child can go home immediately. This is the first time the judge has been asked to make sure your child is safe. If your child can`t get home right away, the judge will give them instructions on when and where to visit their child. If your case is not dismissed, a decision hearing will be held after the court hearing. Often, jurisdictional and decision hearings are combined and processed simultaneously. Once the court has asked you to participate in reunification services, your next hearing will not last 6 months. During these six months, you should participate in the reunification services available to you. If you make progress, your child may be returned to you before the next hearing date. It`s important to stay in touch with your lawyer and social worker to keep them informed of your progress toward achieving your reunification goals. If you think it`s safe for your child to return to your home, your lawyer can file documents asking the court to return your child.
The court will also consider a so-called reunification plan for you and your child. A reunification plan is a proposed case plan or action plan created by the social worker assigned to your case. The reunification plan usually includes several requirements that you must follow to resolve the issues and behavior that originally led to your child being removed from your care. The first hearing takes place after the Ministry of Social Services Emergency Worker has investigated and decided that the child is not safe in your home. The emergency responder must file an application with the court alleging abuse within 48 hours of the decision that the child is not safe in your custody and must schedule an initial hearing with the court as soon as possible. This usually means that your first hearing on child substance abuse will take place on the first day of court after the application is filed by the emergency social worker. After the first detention hearing, a hearing is held. The trial can be considered a “parenting process” because the court reviews the facts of the case to determine if the allegations against you as a parent are true.
Once the hearing is available, the court must review your case every six months to ensure that you and your child are still in a situation they deem most appropriate. If, after reviewing your case, the court concludes that you have complied with the terms of the reunification plan and have resolved the issues that led to the child being removed from your custody in the first place, the court may decide to release the dependent child. Depending on the circumstances of your case, you may need to attend several subsequent hearings. At Wallin & Klarich, we are committed to helping you every step of the child addiction legal process. .
