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Administration of Justice Bulletin No. 98103 December 1998 interests of the juvenile and consistent with the juvenile's health and safety. authorize the court to order the director of so- cial services to arrange, facilitate, and super- vise a visitation plan expressly approved by the court for a juvenile who is placed in the depmunent's custody. Scheduling of Review Hearing As mended. GS. 7A-65 l(b) requixes that a dis- positional order removing custody ofajuvenile from a parent or person standing in Ioeo parenfis direct that a review hearing be held within ninety days from the date of the dispositional hearing. Review Hearings Timing and Nature of Hearings By amending G.S. 7A-657 and adding new G.S, 7A-657. I, S.L. 1998-229 makes significant changes relating to the court's review of cases after a juvenile's removal from the custody ora parent or a person standing in loco parentis. RevSew hearings must be held as follows. 1. An imtial review hearing must be held within ninety days from the date of the dispositional hearing (instead of six months from the date the order was entered). 2. A second review hearing must be held within six months after the tn'st review. 3. A permanency, planning review hearing must be held within twelve months after the initial order removing custody from the p~rent or person standing in loco parentis. If appropri- ate, th~s hearing may be combined with an initial or second review hearing. The purpose of this hearing is to develop a plan to achieve a safe, permanent home for the juvenile within a reasonable period of time. 4. Subsequent permanency, planning review heanngs must be held at least every six months to review progress in implementing the permanency, plan for the juvenile or, ff necessao', to make a new permanency plan~ Notice The dh'ector of social services continues to be re- sponsible for making timely requests to the clerk to calendar cases for review. The clerk must give fifteen 4 days' notice of each hearing and its purpose to the par- ent: any person standing in loco parenlis: the juvenile. if he or she is twelve years old or older; the guardian; any foster parent, relative, or preadoptive parent caring for the juvenile; the custodian or agency with custody.: the guardian ad litem; and any other person or agency. the court specifies, At the hearing, the court must consider informa- tion from any person or agency that is entitled to no- tice, as well as from juveniles younger than twelve. The fact that a foster parent, relative, or preadoptive parent receives notice and an oppormmty to be heard. however, does not make that person a party, to the proceeding. Findings at First or Second Review Hearing At the first two hearings---the first within ninety, days of the dis'positional hearing and the second within six months of the first review--the court must consider and, where relevant, make findings about the following additional issues: l. an appropriate visitation plan, and 2. d the juvenile is sixteen or seventeen years old, a report on an independent living assess- ment of the juvenile and if appropriate, an independent hying plan for the juvenile. Findings at Permanency Planning Review Hearings At the conclusion of a permanency planning re- view hearing, if the court does not return the juvenile home, the court must consider and make written find- ings about as many of the following as are relevant: 1. Whether it is possible for the juvenile to be returned home immediately or within six months and.'if not` why it is not in the juve- nile's best interests to return home. 2. £f the juvenile's return home within six mondis is unlikely, a. whether legal guardianslaip or custody should be given to a relative or another suitable person and, if so, what fights and respoasibilities should remain with the parents: b. whether adoption should be pursued and. if so, any barriers to the juvenile's adop- tion; and c. whether the juvenile should remain in the current placement or be placed in another permanent living arrangement, and why.