Thirty (30) days following a court order terminating parental rights, the Department is required to submit a report to the court, which must include the following:

• the circumstances of the termination

• the current situation of the child

• the child’s placement history since termination

• the child’s adjustment

• the Department’s permanency plan for the child

• measurable objectives to achieve permanency

• time schedule for transitioning the child into permanency, and

• reasonable efforts to achieve permanency. 

Ninety (90) days after the thirty-day report, and every three months thereafter, the Department shall submit a written report to the court regarding the implementation of the permanency plan by filing an updated Study For Child For Whom DCF Is The Statutory Parent (Attachment to 46-3-25). 

It is within the local judge’s discretion to hold an in-court hearing regarding Ninety-Day Reports.  Many local courts require these hearings for all cases in which adoption is the permanency plan.  The focus of these hearings is to determine whether  

• the adoption petition has been filed with the Probate Court, and

• there are barriers to the completion of the adoption.

The Department must submit a Motion for Review of Permanency Plan (DCF-2240) and Study nine (9) months after the date of the last permanency plan order. 

Note: The yearly permanency plan motion may replace a corresponding post-TPR 90-day report if the motion and report are due at approximately the same time. 

The court shall convene a hearing to review the permanency plan for the child within twelve (12) months from the date of the last permanency plan hearing, and at least once a year thereafter, until the permanency plan has been achieved.