1. a. At any time after the filing of a petition and prior to entry of an order of adjudication pursuant to section 232.47, the court may suspend the proceedings on motion of the county attorney or the child‘s counsel, enter a consent decree, and continue the case under terms and conditions established by the court. These terms and conditions may include any of the following:

 (1) Prohibiting the child from driving a motor vehicle for a specified period of time or under specific circumstances. The court shall notify the department of transportation of an order prohibiting the child from driving.
 (2) Supervision of the child by a juvenile court officer or other agency or person designated by the court.
 (3) The performance of a work assignment of value to the state or to the public.
 (4) Making restitution consisting of a monetary payment to the victim or a work assignment directly of value to the victim.
 (5) Placement of the child in a group or family foster care setting, if the court makes a determination that such a placement is the least restrictive option.
 b. A child’s need for shelter placement or for inpatient mental health or substance use disorder treatment does not preclude entry or continued execution of a consent decree.
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Terms Used In Iowa Code 232.46

  • Child: includes but shall not be limited to a stepchild, foster child, or legally adopted child and means a child actually or apparently under eighteen years of age, and a dependent person eighteen years of age or over who is unable to maintain the person's self and is likely to become a public charge. See Iowa Code 252A.2
  • Child: means any person under the age of eighteen years. See Iowa Code 232.68
  • Continuance: Putting off of a hearing ot trial until a later time.
  • Court: shall mean and include any court upon which jurisdiction has been conferred to determine the liability of persons for the support of dependents. See Iowa Code 252A.2
  • Court: means the juvenile court established under section 602. See Iowa Code 232.2
  • Custodian: means a stepparent or a relative within the fourth degree of consanguinity to a child who has assumed responsibility for that child, a person who has accepted a release of custody pursuant to subchapter IV, or a person appointed by a court or juvenile court having jurisdiction over a child. See Iowa Code 232.2
  • Delinquent act: means :
     a. See Iowa Code 232.2
  • Detention: means the temporary care of a child in a physically restricting facility designed to ensure the continued custody of the child at any point between the child's initial contact with the juvenile authorities and the final disposition of the child's case. See Iowa Code 232.2
  • following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute mean the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Foster care: means the provision of parental nurturing, including but not limited to the furnishing of food, lodging, training, education, supervision, treatment, or other care, to a child on a full-time basis by a person, including an adult relative or fictive kin of the child, and where the child is under the placement, care, or supervision of the department, juvenile court services, or tribes with whom the department has entered into an agreement pursuant to a court order or voluntary placement, but not including a guardian of the child. See Iowa Code 232.2
  • Juvenile: means the same as "child". See Iowa Code 232.2
  • Juvenile court officer: means a person appointed as a juvenile court officer under section 602. See Iowa Code 232.2
  • Parent: means a biological or adoptive mother or father of a child; or a father whose paternity has been established by one of the methods enumerated in section 252A. See Iowa Code 232.2
  • person: means individual, corporation, limited liability company, government or governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership or association, or any other legal entity. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Petition: means a pleading the filing of which initiates formal judicial proceedings in the juvenile court. See Iowa Code 232.2
  • Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
  • state: means the general interest held by the people in the health, safety, welfare, and protection of all children living in this state. See Iowa Code 232.90
  • year: means twelve consecutive months. See Iowa Code 4.1
 2. A consent decree entered regarding a child placed in detention under section 232.22, subsection 1, paragraph “g”, shall require the child to attend a batterers’ treatment program under section 708.2B. The second time the child fails to attend the batterers’ treatment as required by the consent decree shall result in the decree being vacated and proceedings commenced under section 232.47.
 3. A consent decree shall not be entered unless the child and the child’s parent, guardian, or custodian are informed of the consequences of the decree by the court and the court determines that the child has voluntarily and intelligently agreed to the terms and conditions of the decree. If the county attorney objects to the entry of a consent decree, the court shall proceed to determine the appropriateness of entering a consent decree after consideration of any objections or reasons for entering such a decree.
 4. A consent decree shall remain in force for up to one year unless the child is sooner discharged by the court or by the juvenile court officer or other agency or person supervising the child. Upon application of a juvenile court officer or other agency or person supervising the child made prior to the expiration of the decree and after notice and hearing, or upon agreement by the parties, a consent decree may be extended for up to an additional year by order of the court.
 5. When a child has complied with the express terms and conditions of the consent decree for the required amount of time or until earlier dismissed as provided in subsection 4, the original petition may not be reinstated. However, failure to so comply may result in the child’s being thereafter held accountable as if the consent decree had never been entered.
 6. A child who is discharged or who completes a period of continuance without the reinstatement of the original petition shall not be proceeded against in any court for a delinquent act alleged in the petition.
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