Iowa Code 232.81 – Complaint
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1. Any person having knowledge of the circumstances may file a complaint with the person or agency designated by the court to perform intake duties alleging that a child is a child in need of assistance.
Terms Used In Iowa Code 232.81
- 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
- Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
- Complaint: means an oral or written report which is made to the juvenile court by any person and alleges that a child is within the jurisdiction of the court. 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
- Intake: means the preliminary screening of complaints by an intake officer to determine whether the court should take some action and if so, what action. See Iowa Code 232.2
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Juvenile: means the same as "child". 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. Upon receipt of a complaint, the court may request the department, juvenile probation office, or other authorized agency or individual to conduct a preliminary investigation of the complaint to determine if further action should be taken.
3. A petition alleging the child to be a child in need of assistance may be filed pursuant to section 232.87 provided the allegations of the complaint, if proven, are sufficient to establish the court’s jurisdiction and the filing is in the best interests of the child.