NCJ Number
129573
Date Published
1990
Length
80 pages
Annotation
This publication presents North Carolina's Juvenile Code and termination-of-parental-rights statutes for use by professionals who must implement them and by other citizens affected by or interested in the North Carolina laws applicable to children and families; the statutes presented include the actions of the North Carolina General Assembly through the end of its 1990 session.
Abstract
The Juvenile Code establishes the district court's jurisdiction over five categories of children: delinquent, undisciplined, dependent, abused, and neglected juveniles. In addition to defining the court's authority in relation to these children, the code addresses the responsibilities of and procedures applicable to chief court counselors and their staffs, law enforcement officers, county social services directors and their staffs, attorneys, and guardians ad litem appointed to represent certain juveniles and some parents. The code includes the child abuse and neglect reporting law and the definitions essential to understanding the scope of that duty. It also provides judicial procedures for interstate cooperation regarding certain juveniles, consent for emergency medical treatment for children, emancipation of a minor, and the review of the placements of children who are in foster care. The judicial termination of parents' rights is an important part of the district court's juvenile jurisdiction. The code includes procedures for reviewing the placements of children whose parents' rights have been terminated.