AG 2007 01 22 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

attorney prioritize his or her duties and manage the practice in a way that will benefit the agency and ultimately the children and families for whom the agency provides services. A. Definitions A-1 A~encX: The state or county child welfare agency that is charged with protecting and caring for children suspected or found to be abused or neglected and providing services to the child's family. The agency investigates reports of child abuse and neglect,. provides preventative services to families and takes custody of children and oversees their placement in foster care. If a child is placed in foster care, the agency works with the family to reunite the child or achieve another permanency outcome for the child. The agency may also work with unruly children, status offenders, or delinquent children. Commentary: When applying or adapting these standards locally, it is important to define this term in ajurisdiction-specific manner. There are a wide range of names for child welfare agencies such as the Department of Human Services (DHS), the Department of Social Services (DSS), Children Youth and Families. A-2 A ency Attorney: An attorney who is an employee or contractor with the government who is charged with the responsibility of initiating proceedings on behalf of the government or the people to protect abused and neglected children. Commentary: Defining this term in ajurisdiction-specific manner is critical. Everyone should be clear on which attorneys are covered by the practice standards and who the client is. A-3 Client: A person or entity who employs an attorney or counselor to appear in court, advise, assist and defend in legal proceedings. The client is the entity to which the agency attorney is responsible.' Commentary: State law varies concerning the agency attorney's client. Generally, it is either the child welfare agency itself, or "the people" in a prosecutorial model of representation. See section B-1 for further discussion. The attorney must understand who the client is and the parameters of the representation. A-4 Abuse and Neglect Proceedings: A category of legal proceedings designed to protect maltreated or endangered children that is generally initiated by the government. This group of cases may involve such proceedings as abuse, neglect, dependency, or abandonment cases. It typically involves, among other things, adjudications, case reviews, permanency hearings, termination of parental rights, adoption, and, in some states, guardianship and custody. "Family Drug Courts" and other specialty dockets, if they handle dependency cases, should be included in this category. 2 ~~ ...:~' -- G~':