Hearings
Participants in Court Hearings
CASAs in Court
Terminology
Permanency
100

This hearing follows an emergent removal of the child or children within two business days.

What is a DODD Hearing/Order to Show Cause?

100

This is the decision maker during court hearings.

Who is the Judge?

100

This is one of our two counties where most hearings currently happen in person (vs virtual).

What is Union County?

100

This plan provides willing resource parents an alternative to adoption without terminating parental rights.

What is Kinship Legal Guardianship?

100

This is a potential plan for youth ages 16+ who are unlikely to achieve permanency before reaching adulthood.

What is Independent Living?

200

This hearing happens approximately 12 months after removal to discuss DCP&P’s plan for a child.

What is a Permanency Hearing?

200

This is the attorney for DCP&P.

Who is the Deputy Attorney General?

200

This is how a CASA and their Advocacy Supervisor keep in touch during a virtual court hearing.

What is Text Messaging?

200

This action may be taken by parents to ask a higher court to reconsider a decision to terminate parental rights.

What is an appeal?

200

This is the presumed or implicit permanency plan until the first Permanency Hearing occurs.

What is Reunification?

300

This is the document an advocate provides to the court regarding their findings and recommendations.

What is a CASA Court Report?

300

This is the attorney who represents the child’s wishes.

Who is the Law Guardian?

300

This is the meeting platform for court hearings that are held virtually.

What is Zoom?

300

This is when a parent voluntarily relinquishes their parental rights to a named individual(s).

What is an Identified Surrender?

300

This is the federal law that specifies key principles and timelines in child welfare court cases.

What is ASFA (Adoption & Safe Families Act)?

400

This is the document generated during a hearing to specify the judge’s decisions and requirements for each party in the case.

What is a Court Order?

400

This is the person who represents the child’s best interests.

Who is the CASA?

400

This is the person that will notify CASA volunteers regarding changes in their hearing date and time.

Who is the Advocacy Supervisor?

400

This is the concept of having “Plan B” with regards to a child’s permanency.

What is Concurrent Planning?

400

This is how often a Permanency hearing should be held.

What is 12 months?

500

This is a trial which determines whether the child has been abused and/or neglected.

What is a Fact Finding Hearing?

500

These two types of participants in court hearings no longer have a seat at the table when the case moves into the FC docket.

Who are parents and their attorneys?

500

This is how long before a court hearing that a CASA advocate has to submit their Court Report to their Advocacy Supervisor.

What is 2 weeks?

500

This form, regarding financial status, must be completed by a parent to acquire representation by a Public Defender.

What is a 5A application?

500

This plan doesn’t actually sever a parent’s rights. Instead, it only suggests the State’s intention and plan to do so.

What is Termination of Parental rights, followed by Adoption?