How to Prepare for a Juvenile Dependency Court Hearing in California

If you will be appearing in juvenile dependency court, it is important to prepare for your hearing in advance. There are different kinds of hearing, so your degree of participation will vary depending on whether it is an initial hearing, jurisdictional hearing, or review hearing. In order to ensure that your hearing proceeds without a hitch, it is important to be fully ready beforehand.

Before your court hearing, you should talk to your Orange County juvenile dependency lawyer about what to expect. Your preparation will depend on the type of hearing and the subject of the hearing. The following are examples of how you might get ready for various types of hearings.

It’s essential to review the allegations and gather evidence, ensuring a smooth process. If you have a California child dependency attorney, they’ll help you prepare. The dispositional hearing will often be where you receive your case plan and information about family reunification services. Plus, this can be confusing if you haven’t dealt with this kind of issue before, so having an attorney on hand is especially important.

The jurisdictional hearing is your chance to disprove allegations made against you. Your attorney can help you figure out how to win in dependency court. Typically, you’ll need witness testimony, medical reports, and other forms of evidence to show that the allegations are wrong. Your lawyer can help you prepare your testimony and compile evidence for the case.

Often, families will have a 6-month, 12-month, or 18-month hearing to track the status of the case. During this hearing, the court will see how family reunification services have been going and if the family is ready for the child to return.

At the six-month hearing, the court will see if the problems have been remedied. If not, they will set another hearing for six months later. Then, the same thing will occur at the 12-month hearing. The judge may also decide to put the child up for adoption or create an alternative, permanent plan for them if they don’t think the parents will be ready to get the child back. If the judge thinks that there’s hope for family reunification, they will delay a permanent resolution for another six months.

The 18-month hearing is typically the family’s last chance to get their children back from Child Protective Services (CPS). Because of this, it’s incredibly important to stick to your reunification plan and fulfill all of the court’s requirements. If the juvenile dependency court decides that reunification isn’t possible, then the child will need an alternative, permanent solution.

While each case or hearing is different, you or your attorney will need to carry out some of the following steps to prepare for your hearing.

• Review the order–you may need to ask your attorney for help with this step.
• Prepare a witness list and contact your witnesses.
• Get your evidence exhibits ready.
• Review the exhibits from the other side.
• Prepare questions for the witnesses.

A 388 motion happens when a social worker, parent, guardian, or attorney asks for a court order to be changed. For example, you may have lost custody because you didn’t have a stable home. If you receive housing aid and are able to get an apartment, your attorney may file a 388 motion because your circumstances have changed.

On average, a case will last 6 to 18 months. If your case reaches the 18-month mark and the court doesn’t think the child can return home, then they will likely find a permanent placement with someone else or put the child up for adoption. Because of this, it’s vital to prepare for your case as thoroughly as possible.

If you are dealing with juvenile dependency court, you need as much help as possible. To get ready for your juvenile dependency case, reach out to our team today for support and additional information.