Section 1022. Preliminary orders of court before petition filed  


Latest version.
  • (a) (i) The
      family  court  may  enter  an order directing the temporary removal of a
      child from the place where he or she is residing before the filing of  a
      petition  under  this article, if (A) the parent or other person legally
      responsible for the child's care is absent or, though present, was asked
      and refused to consent to the temporary removal of  the  child  and  was
      informed  of  an  intent to apply for an order under this section and of
      the information required by section one thousand  twenty-three  of  this
      part; and
        (B) the child appears so to suffer from the abuse or neglect of his or
      her  parent or other person legally responsible for his or her care that
      his or her immediate removal is necessary to avoid  imminent  danger  to
      the child's life or health; and
        (C) there is not enough time to file a petition and hold a preliminary
      hearing under section one thousand twenty-seven of this part.
        (ii)  When  a  child  protective  agency  applies  to  a court for the
      immediate removal of a child pursuant to  this  subdivision,  the  court
      shall  calendar the matter for that day and shall continue the matter on
      successive subsequent court days, if necessary, until a decision is made
      by the court.
        (iii) In  determining  whether  temporary  removal  of  the  child  is
      necessary  to  avoid  imminent  risk  to the child's life or health, the
      court shall consider and determine in its order whether continuation  in
      the  child's  home  would be contrary to the best interests of the child
      and where appropriate, whether reasonable efforts were made prior to the
      date of application for the order directing such  temporary  removal  to
      prevent or eliminate the need for removal of the child from the home. If
      the court determines that reasonable efforts to prevent or eliminate the
      need  for  removal of the child from the home were not made but that the
      lack of such efforts was appropriate under the circumstances, the  court
      order shall include such a finding.
        (iv)  If  the  court  determines that reasonable efforts to prevent or
      eliminate the need for removal of the child from the home were not  made
      but  that  such  efforts  were  appropriate under the circumstances, the
      court shall order the child protective agency to provide or arrange  for
      the provision of appropriate services or assistance to the child and the
      child's  family  pursuant  to  section  one  thousand  fifteen-a of this
      article or subdivision (c) of this section.
        (v) The court shall also consider and determine whether imminent  risk
      to the child would be eliminated by the issuance of a temporary order of
      protection,  pursuant  to section one thousand twenty-nine of this part,
      directing the removal of a person or persons from the child's residence.
        (vi) Any order directing the temporary removal of a child pursuant  to
      this  section  shall  state  the  court's  findings  with respect to the
      necessity of such removal, whether the respondent  was  present  at  the
      hearing  and,  if  not,  what  notice  the  respondent  was given of the
      hearing, whether the respondent was represented by counsel, and, if not,
      whether the respondent waived his or her right to counsel.
        (vii) At the conclusion of a hearing where it has been determined that
      a child should be removed from his or her parent or other person legally
      responsible, the court  shall  set  the  date  certain  for  an  initial
      permanency  hearing  pursuant  to  paragraph  two  of subdivision (a) of
      section one thousand eighty-nine of this act. The date certain shall  be
      included in the written order issued pursuant to subdivision (b) of this
      section  and  shall  set  forth  the  date  certain  scheduled  for  the
      permanency hearing.
        (b) Any written  order  pursuant  to  this  section  shall  be  issued
      immediately, but in no event later than the next court day following the
    
      removal  of the child. The order shall specify the facility to which the
      child is to be brought. Except for good cause shown or unless the  child
      is sooner returned to the place where he or she was residing, a petition
      shall  be  filed  under  this  article  within  three  court days of the
      issuance of the order. The  court  shall  hold  a  hearing  pursuant  to
      section  one  thousand  twenty-seven of this part no later than the next
      court day following the filing of the petition if the respondent was not
      present, or was present and unrepresented by counsel, and has not waived
      his or her right to counsel, for the hearing pursuant to this section.
        (c) The family court, before the  filing  of  a  petition  under  this
      article,  may  enter  an  order authorizing the provision of services or
      assistance, including authorizing a physician  or  hospital  to  provide
      emergency  medical  or  surgical  procedures, if (i) such procedures are
      necessary to safeguard the life or health of the child; and
        (ii) there  is  not  enough  time  to  file  a  petition  and  hold  a
      preliminary  hearing  under section one thousand twenty-seven. Where the
      court orders a social services  official  to  provide  or  contract  for
      services  or  assistance  pursuant  to this section, such order shall be
      limited to services or assistance authorized  or  required  to  be  made
      available  pursuant  to  the  comprehensive annual services program plan
      then in effect.
        (d) The person removing the child shall, coincident with removal, give
      written notice to the parent or other person legally responsible for the
      child's care of the right to apply to the family court for the return of
      the child pursuant to section one thousand twenty-eight of this act, the
      name, title, organization, address and telephone number  of  the  person
      removing  the  child,  the  name  and telephone number of the child care
      agency to which the child will be taken,  if  available,  the  telephone
      number  of the person to be contacted for visits with the child, and the
      information required by section one thousand twenty-three of  this  act.
      Such  notice  shall be personally served upon the parent or other person
      at the residence of the child provided,  that  if  such  person  is  not
      present  at  the child's residence at the time of removal, a copy of the
      notice shall be affixed to the door of such residence and a  copy  shall
      be  mailed  to  such  person at his or her last known place of residence
      within twenty-four hours after the removal of the child. If the place of
      removal is not the child's residence, a copy  of  the  notice  shall  be
      personally  served upon the parent or person legally responsible for the
      child's care forthwith, or affixed to the door of the child's  residence
      and  mailed  to  the  parent or other person legally responsible for the
      child's care at  his  or  her  last  known  place  of  residence  within
      twenty-four  hours  after  the  removal. The form of the notice shall be
      prescribed by the chief administrator of the courts.
        (e) Nothing in this section shall be deemed to require that the  court
      order  the  temporary  removal  of  a  child  as a condition of ordering
      services  or  assistance,  including  emergency  medical   or   surgical
      procedures pursuant to subdivision (c) of this section.
        (f)  The  court  may issue a temporary order of protection pursuant to
      section ten hundred twenty-nine of this article as an alternative to  or
      in conjunction with any other order or disposition authorized under this
      section.