Saturday 19 April 2014

Various Facts About Juvenile Dependency

By Essie Osborn


Sometimes a child may be abused or neglected by a parent or guardian. When this is taken to a court of law, it is treated as a juvenile dependency case. It therefore involves various actions with the aim to protect children as well as reunite families when need be. They are normally undertaken by the courts of law, which must intervene in every proceeding. It is the duty of the court to determine whether the claims of neglect or abuse of the child are valid.

It is also the duty of the court to decide if the victim should be made a dependent of the court or just urged to remain with the family. However, it is the child to come up with the final decision on the matter. If he/she declines the chance to be reunited with the family or guardian, then the court considers that. In that case, a new residence is set up for him to be relocated.

Partners from the community can also assist the court in taking care of the parents of dependent children. In this case, they would start up treatment projects for parents with drug addiction problems. In some cases, they a dependency drug department is set up to offer further assistance to those with severe issues.

The types of groups working together with the court include Health and Human Service Agencies, County Counsels, Dependency Legal Groups, and Alcohol and Drug Service departments. In some places, there are also volunteers who can help in such cases. There is a specific criterion used by the court to handle dependency cases. Normally, a dependency case only appears for court hearing when the victim has been taken away from the family.

After the above procedure, the court can send notifications to the parent or guardian to appear in front of the court for hearing. The notification process is carried out by a social worker who contacts and informs the parent about these requirements. Normally, the hearing is only determined by the case at hand. It is also the responsibility of the court to protect the rights of those involved, while also ensuring that all actions are undertaken under the provision of the law.

The court has also to ensure that the government undertakes its responsibilities as well as appointing a lawyer to represent other parties in the hearing. During the hearing session the court has to put a number of factors related to the case into consideration. For instance, it may have to consider severity of the claims, age of the child, and reports by the police or social worker.

The court may also have to look into the background of the family, arguments of the attorney, as well as medical and psychiatric records. Additionally, the court also needs to appoint an attorney for each parent or victim in every case. There are a group of people who can be allowed to testify in dependency hearing. They include; police officers, social workers, teachers, doctors, witnesses, or even the child.

The hearing process is normally initiated by the petition from the Social Service Agency. This is then used to identify victims of the case as well as the filled allegations. Thereafter, the clerk of the court can plan the date for the hearing.




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