Iowa Code 232.98 – Physical and mental examinations
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1. Except as provided in section 232.78, subsection 5, a physical or mental examination of the child may be ordered only after the filing of a petition pursuant to section 232.87 and after a hearing to determine whether an examination is necessary to determine the child‘s physical or mental condition. The court may consider chemical dependency as either a physical or mental condition and may consider a chemical dependency evaluation as either a physical or mental examination.
a. The hearing required by this section may be held simultaneously with the adjudicatory hearing.
b. An examination ordered prior to the adjudication shall be conducted on an outpatient basis when possible, but if necessary the court may commit the child to a suitable nonsecure hospital, facility, or institution for the purpose of examination for a period not to exceed fifteen days if all of the following are found to be present:
(1) Probable cause exists to believe that the child is a child in need of assistance pursuant to section 232.96A, subsection 5 or 6.
(2) Commitment is necessary to determine whether there is clear and convincing evidence that the child is a child in need of assistance.
(3) The child’s attorney agrees to the commitment.
c. An examination ordered after adjudication shall be conducted on an outpatient basis when possible, but if necessary the court may commit the child to a suitable nonsecure hospital, facility, or institution for the purpose of examination for a period not to exceed thirty days.
d. The child’s parent, guardian, or custodian shall be included in counseling sessions offered during the child’s stay in a hospital, facility, or institution when feasible, and when in the best interests of the child and the child’s parent, guardian, or custodian. If separate counseling sessions are conducted for the child and the child’s parent, guardian, or custodian, a joint counseling session shall be offered prior to the release of the child from the hospital, facility, or institution. The court shall require that notice be provided to the child’s guardian ad litem of the counseling sessions and of the participants and results of the sessions.
Terms Used In Iowa Code 232.98
- Adjudicatory hearing: means a hearing to determine if the allegations of a petition are true. See Iowa Code 232.2
- 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
- Child in need of assistance: means a child who has been found to meet the grounds for adjudication pursuant to section 232. See Iowa Code 232.2
- 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
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- 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
- Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
- Guardian: means a person who is not the parent of a child, but who has been appointed by a court having jurisdiction over the child, to have a permanent self-sustaining relationship with the child and to make important decisions which have a permanent effect on the life and development of that child and to promote the general welfare of that child. See Iowa Code 232.2
- Guardian ad litem: means a person appointed by the court to represent the interests of a child in any judicial proceeding to which the child is a party. See Iowa Code 232.2
- Institution: means a birthing hospital. See Iowa Code 252A.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
2. Following an adjudication that a child is a child in need of assistance, the court may after a hearing order the physical or mental examination of the parent, guardian, or custodian if that person‘s ability to care for the child is at issue.