Original Date: December 2014
Revised Date: July 25, 2021
Sunset Review Date: July 25, 2025
Approved by: Jody Becker, Deputy Secretary
Laws
Policy
- The caseworker submits an updated Court Report DCYF 09-095 form to the court prior to the permanency planning hearing within timeframes established in the Court Report policy. The court report must:
- Clearly delineate the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) recommendations for permanency planning.
- Include providing the court evidence supporting DCYF recommendation for the level of supervision or monitoring for family time visitation per the Family Time and Sibling and Relative Visits policy.
- While it is always necessary when updating the Court Report DCYF 09-095 form to review the parents' progress towards improving the conditions leading to the child's placement in out-of-home care, it is particularly important that a careful review of the permanency plan occur at the time of the permanency planning review. If, at this point, the caseworker is still recommending to the court that eventual return home will occur, the caseworker will carefully describe to the court how this view is consistent with the child's right to early achievement of a safe, permanent home. The caseworker carefully considers all alternative permanency plans before making a recommendation on either a primary or an alternative plan to the court.