Managers, Social Work, and other staff shall be responsible for ensuring a coordinated, timely, and standardized system for all court related activities.

The Program Supervisors shall

·          review and make decisions concerning all petition recommendations, and

The Principal Attorneys, Staff Attorneys, and Assistant Attorneys General shall share responsibility for providing legal advice and representation to the Department.  For a more specific list of duties, see policy 31-9-1, Office of Legal Affairs.

Principal Attorneys, Staff Attorneys and Assistant Attorneys General are trained in child protection matters. However, the consultation with legal staff is for purposes of obtaining legal advice only. The final decision-making authority for all child protection decisions remains with the area office child protection staff.

The Social Work Supervisor shall

·          review and make  decisions concerning all petition recommendations 

·      forward each preliminary draft petition with recommendations to the legal staff at least fourteen (14) days prior to the filing date 

·          check draft petitions and social studies drafted by social work staff for factual accuracy, internal consistency, and typographical errors prior to submission to legal staff 

·          contact the legal staff if the petition packet has not been returned promptly 

·          ensure that appropriate tickler systems/logs are maintained properly 

·          provide consultation to Social Workers and legal staff on all Termination of Parental Rights petitions, and on other petitions as needed, prior to writing the petitions to determine if there are grounds for filing

·          immediately notify Assistant Attorneys General of granted Orders of Temporary Custody and advise the AAG of the need to subpoena witnesses 

·          schedule and attend multidisciplinary assessments for permanency with legal and other staff, and

Social Workers shall

·          prepare preliminary drafts, in consultation with the legal staff and Social Work Supervisors, of petitions and summaries of facts  

·          proof-read all preliminary draft petitions and social studies for factual accuracy, internal consistency, and errors prior to submission to Supervisor and legal staff 

·          submit draft petitions and other non-emergency court-related documents to the Supervisor at least twenty-one (21) days prior to the scheduled filing date 

·          prepare all proposed social studies, affidavits, and written status reports for review and approval by the Social Work Supervisor prior to plea hearings 

·          consult with the Social Work Supervisor and legal staff regarding all proposed TPR actions prior to preparing preliminary drafts of the petition 

·          submit OTCs to the legal staff for review before filing 

·          attend multidisciplinary assessments for permanency with legal and other staff 

·          file motions for OTC with the court 

·          immediately deliver the signed OTC packet to the staff person responsible for service of process to ensure proper notice to the parents/guardians 

·          bring relevant Department records to the first OTC hearing so that parents and counsel may review any pertinent documents to the case 

·          seek prior approval of all necessary psychological and psychiatric evaluations as well as notify and transport clients to the evaluations as necessary 

·          send information regarding changes of Social Worker, address of parents, and placement to the court and child’s attorney, as applicable 

·          with the assistance of the Paralegal Specialists, conduct diligent searches for missing parents or guardians 

·          notify foster parents of all dispositional hearings, including permanency hearings and hearings on motions to revoke commitment, and

·      ensure that court documents are filed in the case record.

In area offices with a staff person(s) serving as liaison to the court and/or service of process, the coordinator, depending upon the staffing assignments in each area office, may

·          coordinate service of process on all petitions and summonses 

·          ensure the timely and accurate payment to Judicial Marshals and newspapers, and enter payment in LINK 

·          develop and maintain professional relationships with AAG office staff, local Judicial Marshals, court staff, newspaper staff and Department staff to ensure effective communication regarding court proceedings 

·          log all petitions filed in court and/or maintain logs/tickler systems as applicable 

·          communicate with newspaper staff to ensure that affidavits of publication are received in time for court hearings 

·          maintain a file of forms of Instructions to Judicial Marshals sent out for service 

·          assist in typing petitions and other court documents when available to do so, and 

Area office clerical staff shall

·      type and/or assist in the typing of legal documents

·          type court forms related to filing petitions or motions 

·          prepare or assist in the preparation of all petition packets 

·          photocopy appropriate numbers of documents/court forms 

·          maintain logs/tickler systems and inform staff when court documents are due or court dates are scheduled 

·          review and distribute mail from the court, and 

The Court Clerk

·          upon the filing of petitions, date stamps the documents; assigns the hearing date(s),  and the date by which the petition must be served 

·          ensures that the court staff notarize Orders of Notice for Publication 

·          forwards all petitions to be served to the appropriate DCF office, and 

·          provides return of service reports to the Social Worker, area office legal staff or the AAG. 

Judicial Marshals (formerly known as Sheriffs)  

·          serve the petitions and forward the return of service form to the Court Clerk and/or Department staff (with a copy of the invoice), and