| Summary of Facts |
The Summary of Facts must be filed with the
Petition for Termination of Parental Rights (JD-JM-40).
A preliminary draft of the Summary of Facts shall be prepared by
the Social Worker, reviewed by the Social Work Supervisor, finalized by the
Principal Attorney or Staff Attorney, and approved by the Program
Supervisor. |
| Number of Children
Per Summary of Facts |
The Social Worker shall complete one Summary of
Facts for all children involved in the case. |
| What to Include |
A concise Summary of Facts includes a factual
history of the case, which details dates, reasons, investigations, and
dispositions of substantiated reports to the Department.
The Summary of Facts is an outline and not a copy of the case
record or narrative. |
| Suggestions on How
to Write a Summary of Facts |
The
following are suggestions to help write a Summary of Facts:
-
refer to
the Attachment to this policy for overall consistency and ease of reading
-
number
the pages
-
check the
jurisdictional facts carefully for accuracy
-
address
each ground checked in the JD-JM-40
-
address
each element of a claimed ground
-
allegations
must be brief and succinct; details shall be offered in the Social Study
-
indicate
dates wherever possible
-
when
incorporating a paragraph by reference, check the content of the
referenced paragraph for accuracy, and
- avoid
repetitions.
|
| Copies |
The original and the number of copies indicated
on the checklist shall be provided to the court, and one (1) copy shall be
filed in the case record. |
| Summary of Facts
Format |
Refer to the Attachment to this policy for the
format for the Summary of Facts to Substantiate Petition for Termination
of Parental Rights. |
| Abandonment as a
Ground When a Parent is Incarcerated |
The
following shall be addressed in the Summary of Facts when stating the
facts to support the ground of abandonment (Ground A) as to an
incarcerated parent:
-
what does
the prison offer in terms of visitation, telephone calls, and mail?
-
has the
parent taken full advantage of the opportunities provided including
participating in Treatment Planning Conferences and Administrative Case
Reviews for the child via teleconference?
-
if and
when a visit was offered to the parent, was it the result of the parent
contacting DCF or did DCF contact the parent?
- what
is the parent’s expected release date?
|
| Failure to
Rehabilitate as a Ground When a Parent is Incarcerated |
The
following shall be addressed in the Summary of Facts when stating the
facts to support the ground of failure to rehabilitate (Grounds B1,
B2 or E) as to an incarcerated parent:
-
what type
of problem/issue did the parent go to prison with (e.g., substance abuse,
alcoholism, domestic violence issues)?
-
what
types of programs were offered to the parent in prison?
-
did the
parent take advantage of programs offered by participating?
-
were
there any post-program tests administered to determine compliance with the
program (e.g., urine screens)?
-
has the
parent had any disciplinary problems while incarcerated?
-
if the
parent has not been incarcerated for the entire time the child has been in
care, what was his/her record of involvement in the child’s life when
he/she was not incarcerated?
-
did the
parent request visitation while he/she was incarcerated?
- length
of sentence.
|
