Louisiana Children’s Code 672.1 – Reunification efforts determination
Terms Used In Louisiana Children's Code 672.1
- Child: means a person under eighteen years of age who, prior to juvenile proceedings, has not been judicially emancipated under Civil Code Article 366 or emancipated by marriage under Civil Code Article 367. See Louisiana Children's Code 603
- Department: means the Department of Children and Family Services. See Louisiana Children's Code 603
- 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.
- 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.
- Permanency hearing: means a hearing for the purpose of determining the permanent plan for the child. See Louisiana Children's Code 603
- Permanent placement: means :
(a) Return of the legal custody of a child to his parent or parents. See Louisiana Children's Code 603
A. At any time in a child in need of care proceeding when a child is in the custody of the department, the department may file a motion for a judicial determination that efforts to reunify the parent and child are not required.
B. The department shall have the burden of demonstrating by clear and convincing evidence that reunification efforts are not required, considering the health, welfare, and safety of the child and the child’s need for permanency.
C. Efforts to reunify the parent and child are not required if a court of competent jurisdiction has determined that:
(1) The parent has subjected the child to egregious conduct or conditions, including but not limited to any of the grounds for certification for adoption pursuant to Article 1015.
(2) The parent has committed murder or manslaughter of another child of the parent or any other child or has aided or abetted, attempted, conspired, or solicited to commit such a murder or manslaughter.
(3) The parent has committed a felony that results in serious bodily injury to the child or another child of the parent or any other child.
(4) The parental rights of the parent to a sibling have been terminated involuntarily.
D. If the court determines that reunification efforts are not required, it shall document that determination by written findings of fact. A permanency hearing, which considers in-state and out-of-state permanent placement options for the child, may be conducted immediately and shall be conducted within thirty days after the determination.
Acts 1999, No. 449, §1, eff. July 1, 1999; Acts 2001, No. 567, §1; Acts 2007, No. 334, §1; Acts 2012, No. 730, §1; Acts 2022, No. 272, §1.