Virginia Law

A. For all court hearings, local departments shall:

1. Facilitate a meeting prior to the development of the foster care service plan and foster care service plan review to ensure participation and consider input from the child, the birth parents or prior custodians, the foster or adoptive parents, relatives and fictive kin who are interested in the child's welfare, and any other interested individuals, who may include service providers, in the development of the service plan and service plan review. All youth 12 years of age and older shall be given the opportunity to choose up to two people to attend the meeting who are not the foster parent or caseworker. All of these persons shall be involved in sharing information for the purposes of well-informed decisions and planning for the child with a focus on safety and permanence.

2. File petitions in accordance with subsection L of this section and the requirements for the type of hearing.

3. Obtain and consider the child's input as to who should be included in the court hearing. If persons identified by the child will not be included in the court hearing, the service worker shall explain the reasons to the child for such a decision consistent with the child's developmental and psychological status.

4. Inform the court of reasonable efforts made to achieve concurrent permanency goals.

5. Document the appropriateness of the placement, including the continued appropriateness of an out-of-state placement if applicable.

6. Ensure the child or youth is present for the permanency planning hearing unless the court determines this not to be in the child's best interest.

B. The child or youth shall be consulted in an age-appropriate manner about his permanency plan at the permanency planning hearing and subsequent administrative panel reviews.

C. An administrative panel review shall be held six months after a permanency planning hearing when the goal of permanent foster care has been approved by the court. A foster care review hearing will be held annually. The child will continue to have administrative panel reviews or review hearings every six months until the child reaches age 18 years.

D. The local department shall invite the child; the child's birth parents or prior custodians when appropriate; and the child's foster or adoptive parents, placement providers, guardian ad litem, court appointed special advocate, relatives, and service providers to participate in the administrative panel reviews.

E. The local department shall consider all recommendations made during the administrative panel review in planning services for the child and birth parents or prior custodians and document the recommendations on the department approved form. Individuals who were invited, including those not in attendance, shall be given a copy of the results of the administrative panel review as documented on the department approved form.

F. A supervisory review is required every six months for youth ages 18 to 21 years who are receiving independent living services only.

G. An administrative panel review is required every six months for Fostering Futures program participants unless a court review is held.

H. In accordance with § 16.1-242.1 of the Code of Virginia, when a case is on appeal for termination of parental rights, the juvenile and domestic relations district court retains jurisdiction on all matters not on appeal. The circuit court appeal hearing may substitute for a review hearing if the circuit court addresses the future status of the child.

I. An adoption progress report shall be prepared every six months after a permanency planning hearing when the goal of adoption has been approved by the court. The adoption progress report shall be entered into the automated child welfare data system. The child will continue to have annual review hearings in addition to adoption progress reports until a final order of adoption is issued or the child reaches age 18 years.

J. If a child is in the custody of the local department and a preadoptive family has not been identified and approved for the child, the child's guardian ad litem or the local board of social services may file a petition to restore the previously terminated parental rights of the child's parent in accordance with § 16.1-283.2 of the Code of Virginia.

K. If a child has been in foster care 15 out of the last 22 months or if the parent of the child in foster care has been convicted of an offense as outlined in § 63.2-910.2 of the Code of Virginia, the local department shall file a petition to terminate parental rights and concurrently identify, recruit, process, and approve a qualified family for adoption of the child, unless certain exceptions as outlined in § 63.2-910.2, are met. These exceptions, which shall be documented in the child's case plan submitted to court, include:

1. The child is being cared for by a relative, and the relative is pursuing custody of the child and does not want to adopt.

2. The local department has not provided services to the parents deemed necessary for the safe return of the child.

3. Termination of parental rights is not in the best interests of the child and the local department has documented a compelling reason explaining why termination is not in the best interests of the child. Determinations regarding compelling reasons not to terminate parental rights shall be made based on the unique circumstances of the case. Compelling reasons may include:

a. A parent has made substantial progress toward eliminating the conditions that caused the child's placement in foster care; it is possible for the child to safely return home within six months; and the child's return home will be in the child's best interest.

b. Another permanency plan is better suited to meet the health and safety needs of the child.

L. If a local department does not file a petition to terminate parental rights when a child has been in care for 15 of the most recent 22 months, the local department shall report to the commissioner or designee a clear description of the reason why such petition has not been filed and the reasonable efforts made regarding reunification or placement of the child with a relative.

1. The commissioner or designee shall compile the information reported into a de-identified annual report and provide such report to all local departments.

2. The commissioner or designee shall use the information contained in the report to establish a training program that educates local departments regarding common errors made by local departments when declining to file a petition for termination of parental rights.

M. Designated nonattorney employees of a local department may only file petitions that are outlined in this subsection. All other petitions must be filed by an attorney, including petitions for the termination of parental rights. In accordance with §§ 16.1-260, 54.1-3900, and 63.2-332 of the Code of Virginia, nonattorney employees of a local department may only do the following:

1. Initiate a case on behalf of the local department by appearing before an intake officer; and

2. Complete, sign, and file with the clerk, on forms approved by the Supreme Court of Virginia, petitions for foster care review hearings, petitions for permanency planning hearings, petitions to establish paternity, motions to establish or modify support, motions to amend or review an order, and motions for a rule to show cause.