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Typically, supervised visitation isn’t permanent. A judge might order supervised visitation for a few months, during which time the visitations will be observed.

Reunification with the family is always the preferred permanency option, but there are several permanency options to consider.

A Notice of Placement With Children is a document that is filed with the court and initiates court proceedings when a child is placed out of his or her home.

Children need a stable home environment to thrive. Part of a stable environment is safety. But safety is more than just child-proofing and adult supervision.

A child deserves to have a safe and permanent home. Accordingly, the court must minimize the amount of a time a child is in foster placement.

The fact-finding hearing and the evidence presented at it play a critical role in your case. Accordingly, there are many rules under which the evidence can be admitted to the case.

Broadly defined, hearsay is a statement made outside of court. Examples of hearsay include informal conversations between parties in a case or with witnesses, statements made to law enforcement and certain electronic communications.

Once the DCP&P files a Complaint and serves it on the parent under investigation, the parent has the right to submit a formal Answer to the complaint, which is not required.

The court may consider oral testimony at any stage in child welfare proceedings when material facts are in dispute or when the available evidence is not sufficient to make a finding based on a preponderance of the evidence.

Generally speaking, the burden of proof is the threshold that a person proving a fact in a court of law must meet for that fact to be legally established as true.