Washington Code 26.33.090 – Petition for relinquishment — Hearing — Temporary custody order — Notice — Order of relinquishment
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(1) The court shall set a time and place for a hearing on the petition for relinquishment. The hearing may not be held sooner than forty-eight hours after the child’s birth or the signing of all necessary consents to adoption, whichever is later. However, if the child is an Indian child, the hearing shall not be held sooner than ten days after the child’s birth, and no consent shall be valid unless signed at least ten days after the child’s birth and recorded before a court of competent jurisdiction pursuant to 25 U.S.C. § 1913(a). Except where the child is an Indian child, the court may enter a temporary order giving custody of the child to the prospective adoptive parent, if a preplacement report has been filed, or to the department or agency to whom the child will be relinquished pending the court’s hearing on the petition. If the child is an Indian child, the court may enter a temporary custody order under this subsection only if the requirements of 25 U.S.C. § 1913(a) regarding voluntary foster care placement have been satisfied.
Terms Used In Washington Code 26.33.090
- 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.
- 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.
(2) Notice of the hearing shall be served on any relinquishing parent or *alleged father, and the department or agency in the manner prescribed by RCW 26.33.310. If the child is an Indian child, notice of the hearing shall also be served on the child’s tribe in the manner prescribed by RCW 26.33.310.
(3) The court may require the parent to appear personally and enter his or her consent to adoption on the record. However, if the child is an Indian child, the court shall require the consenting parent to appear personally before a court of competent jurisdiction to enter on the record his or her consent to the relinquishment or adoption. The court shall determine that any written consent has been validly executed, and if the child is an Indian child, such court shall further certify that the requirements of 25 U.S.C. § 1913(a) have been satisfied. If the court determines it is in the best interests of the child, the court shall approve the petition for relinquishment.
(4) If the court approves the petition, it shall award custody of the child to the department, agency, or prospective adoptive parent, who shall be appointed legal guardian. The legal guardian shall be financially responsible for support of the child until further order of the court. The court shall also enter an order pursuant to RCW 26.33.130 terminating the parent-child relationship of the parent and the child.
(5) An order of relinquishment to an agency or the department shall include an order authorizing the agency to place the child with a prospective adoptive parent.
NOTES:
*Reviser’s note: RCW 26.33.020 was amended by 2019 c 46 § 5034, changing the definition of “alleged father” to “alleged genetic parent.”
Severability—1987 c 170: See note following RCW 13.04.030.