reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
LA Chil Code art. 1157 (2021)
2021 Louisiana Laws|Children's Code|Art. 1157. Reclaiming of parental rights by the relinquishing parent; hearing

A. A relinquishing parent may reclaim parental rights by proving by clear and convincing evidence that: (1) He is the parent of the child. (2) Setting aside the relinquishment and permitting the parent to reclaim the child is in the child's best interests. B. If the court finds that the relinquishment should be set aside and that the parent may reclaim his parental rights, then the parent shall prove also that he has manifested a substantial commitment to his parental responsibilities and that he is a fit parent of the child. C. The child, the other parent, and the legal custodian may offer rebuttal evidence limited to the issues enumerated in Paragraphs A and B of this Article. D. If the court finds that the parent has established his parental rights, the court shall declare that no adoption may be granted without his consent. The court may also order the parent to reimburse the department, or whoever has assumed liability for such costs, all or part of the medical expenses incurred for the infant in connection with his birth and care. E. If the court finds that the parent has failed to establish his parental rights, it shall declare that his rights are terminated. Acts 2003, No. 609, §2.
LA Chil Code art. 1158 (2021)
2021 Louisiana Laws|Children's Code|Art. 1158. Order declaring parental rights terminated; time limitations; finality

A. If a relinquishing parent has not sought timely to reclaim parental rights, and if no timely opposition to adoption has been filed by an alleged or adjudicated non-relinquishing father, the court shall, upon motion by the department filed within forty-five days after the relinquishment, render a judgment declaring the rights of the parents terminated. B. The effects of a judgment terminating parental rights are as set forth in Article 1038. If the court has terminated the rights of both parents of the child, it also shall certify the child for adoption and continue custody in the department. C. No action to annul a judgment terminating parental rights pursuant to this Chapter shall be brought for any reason after ninety days from its signing or after a decree of adoption has been entered, whichever is earlier. Acts 2003, No. 609, §2.
LA Chil Code art. 1159 (2021)
2021 Louisiana Laws|Children's Code|Art. 1159. Permanency planning; case plan; review hearings

A. Unless a reclaiming of parental rights is filed timely, the department shall within thirty days of the continued custody hearing develop and file with the court a permanency case plan as described in Article 673. B. If a reclaiming of parental rights is filed timely, the department shall develop and file with the court a permanency case plan within thirty days of a judgment denying the claim and terminating parental rights. C. The case shall thereafter be reviewed in accordance with Chapter 10 of Title X. D. The attorney appointed to represent the infant at the safe haven continued custody hearing shall continue to represent the child in all review hearings until the child is permanently placed. Acts 2003, No. 609, §2.
LA Chil Code art. 1161 (2021)
2021 Louisiana Laws|Children's Code|Art. 1161. Official Safe Haven symbol

  A. The legislature hereby creates an official Safe Haven symbol for use in identifying to the public those sites which are classified as designated emergency care facilities pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter, and for any other use which the department deems necessary or advantageous in fulfilling the purposes set forth in this Chapter. The design and promulgation of the symbol shall be in accordance with the provisions of this Article.  B.(1) The general design of the Safe Haven symbol shall be as follows: Two solid lines, each oriented diagonally, meeting to form an apex in the style of a gable roof; superimposed upon and just underneath the image of the roof being a stylized figure symbolic of an infant, oriented almost horizontally, consisting of a circle representing the infant's head proximate to or adjoining an oval representing the infant's body; superimposed upon and just underneath the figure of the infant being a stylized figure symbolic of the lower two-thirds of an arm and a hand of a person, oriented almost horizontally and opposite the direction in which the infant's head lies, with the figure of the arm bent in curvilinear form upward from the position of the elbow in a cradling posture; the design elements, collectively, giving the appearance of an infant cradled in the arm of a person under the shelter of a roof. The color of these design elements shall be black.  (2) The department shall promulgate in rule the image that shall constitute the official Safe Haven symbol.  C. The department is hereby authorized, but is not required, to produce electronic and physical copies of the Safe Haven symbol with any of the following features individually or in any combination:  (1) Text reading "SAFE BABY SITE" in all capital letters appearing above the symbol.  (2) A background that is either white or a shade of yellow typically used for traffic warning signs indicating necessity of caution.  Acts 2016, No. 84, §1.
LA Chil Code art. 1167 (2021)
2021 Louisiana Laws|Children's Code|Art. 1167. Purpose

The purpose of this Title is to promote the permanent placement of available children into suitable homes through the procedures described herein. Acts 1991, No. 235, §12, eff. Jan. 1, 1992.
LA Chil Code art. 1168 (2021)
2021 Louisiana Laws|Children's Code|Art. 1168. General applicability of other Children's Code provisions

Except as otherwise specified in this Title, all provisions of the Children's Code remain applicable. Acts 1991, No. 235, §12, eff. Jan. 1, 1992.
LA Chil Code art. 1169 (2021)
2021 Louisiana Laws|Children's Code|Art. 1169. Definitions

As used in this Title: (1) "Agency" or "child placing agency" includes the Department of Children and Family Services, the corresponding department of any other state, and those private agencies and institutions licensed for the placement of children for adoption by the Department of Children and Family Services or by the corresponding department of any other state. (2) "Birth certificate" means the child's official birth certificate or a true copy of a prefiled version of the birth certificate in the event the official birth certificate has not been issued. (2.1) "Broker" means any person who, for compensation or the expectation of compensation, obtains or offers to obtain a child for adoption from a third party. (3) "Child" means a person under eighteen years of age and not emancipated by marriage. (4) "Department" means the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services. (5) "Putative father registry" means the Louisiana putative father registry established in R.S. 9:400. Acts 1991, No. 235, §12, eff. Jan. 1, 1992; Acts 1992, No. 705, §1, eff. July 6, 1992; Acts 1999, No. 1062, §4, eff. Jan. 1, 2000; Acts 2006, No. 288, §1.
LA Chil Code art. 1170 (2021)
2021 Louisiana Laws|Children's Code|Art. 1170. Types of adoption

A. This Title sets forth the exclusive procedures for adoption of minor children in Louisiana. There are three types of adoption of minor children in Louisiana: (1) Agency adoption. (2) Private adoption. (3) Intrafamily adoption. B. The procedures governing each type of adoption are set forth in the following Articles. Acts 1991, No. 235, §12, eff. Jan. 1, 1992.
LA Chil Code art. 1171 (2021)
2021 Louisiana Laws|Children's Code|Art. 1171. Prior approval of private adoptive placement; exceptions

Except when the child is the stepchild, grandchild, sibling, niece, or nephew of one of the prospective adopting parents, no child who is the subject of a private adoption shall be placed in the home of the prospective adoptive parents prior to their either obtaining a current certification for adoption, as provided for in Articles 1171 through 1173, or by their obtaining a current order of a court of competent jurisdiction approving the adoptive placement, as provided for in Articles 1175 through 1177. Acts 1991, No. 235, §12, eff. Jan. 1, 1992; Acts 2003, No. 567, §1.
LA Chil Code art. 1172 (2021)
2021 Louisiana Laws|Children's Code|Art. 1172. Certification for adoption; authority to conduct preplacement home study

Any person qualified to adopt a child pursuant to Article 1221 may request a social worker acting in the employ of a licensed adoption agency, licensed clinical social worker, licensed professional counselor, licensed psychologist, medical psychologist, licensed psychiatrist, or licensed marriage and family therapist, to conduct a preplacement home study for the purpose of obtaining a certification for adoption. Acts 1991, No. 235, §12, eff. Jan. 1, 1992; Acts 1999, No. 1309, §9, eff. Jan. 1, 2000; Acts 2001, No. 486, §5, eff. June 21, 2001; Acts 2008, No. 583, §1; Acts 2009, No. 251, §13.
LA Chil Code art. 1173 (2021)
2021 Louisiana Laws|Children's Code|Art. 1173. Preplacement home study; requirements

A. The department shall promulgate rules and regulations for preplacement home studies in private adoptions in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act. The rules and regulations promulgated pursuant to this Article shall not be inconsistent with the following: (1) The rules and regulations governing the licensing of adoption agencies relative to preplacement home studies, specifically adoptive home studies, notification regarding application, access to records, updating home studies, review procedures, and adoptive parents' records, to the extent that such provisions are compatible with procedural laws governing private surrenders and adoptions. (2) Such study shall be conducted by a social worker in the employ of a licensed adoption agency, licensed social worker, licensed professional counselor, licensed psychologist, medical psychologist, licensed psychiatrist, or licensed marriage and family therapist, except that a prospective adoptive parent who is domiciled outside the state shall obtain a preplacement home study in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 2 of Title XVI. (3) A certification for adoption issued after a favorable preplacement home study shall be completed or brought current within twelve months next preceding the placement of a child with the adoptive parents. B. The sheriff and department shall conduct and accord priority to requests for a criminal records check for all federal and state arrests and convictions and validated complaints of child abuse or neglect, respectively, in this or any other state of each prospective adoptive parent, and shall provide a certificate indicating all information discovered or that no information has been found, all in accordance with the applicable rules and regulations promulgated by the department. C. The department shall promulgate and submit for approval such rules and regulations governing placement home studies in private adoptions in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act no later than October 1, 1991, and such rules and regulations shall become effective upon its publication in the Louisiana Register. Acts 1991, No. 235, §12, eff. Jan. 1, 1992; Acts 1999, No. 1309, §9, eff. Jan. 1, 2000; Acts 2001, No. 486, §5, eff. June 21, 2001; Acts 2003, No. 567, §1; Acts 2008, No. 583, §1; Acts 2009, No. 194, §1, eff. June 30, 2009; Acts 2009, No. 251, §13.
LA Chil Code art. 1174 (2021)
2021 Louisiana Laws|Children's Code|Art. 1174. Issuance of preplacement certification for adoption

A. If the preplacement home study is favorable, the professional who conducted it shall issue a preplacement certification for adoption to the prospective adoptive parents. B. The preplacement certification for adoption shall be valid for a minimum of two years. Acts 1991, No. 235, §12, eff. Jan. 1, 1992; Acts 1999, No. 1062, §4, eff. Jan. 1, 2000.
LA Chil Code art. 1175 (2021)
2021 Louisiana Laws|Children's Code|Art. 1175. Court approval of uncertified adoptive placement

Prospective adoptive parents who have not previously obtained a certification for adoption may apply for a court order approving the placement of a child in their home. Acts 1991, No. 235, §12, eff. Jan. 1, 1992.
LA Chil Code art. 1176 (2021)
2021 Louisiana Laws|Children's Code|Art. 1176. Application for court approval of adoptive placement; contents; filing

A. An application for court approval of adoptive placement shall be verified and shall contain the following: (1) The name, address, age, occupation, and marital status of the prospective adoptive parents. (2) The expected date of the child's placement. (3) The relationship between the child and the prospective adoptive parents, if any. (4) The name of the child whose placement is requested, if known. B. An application for court approval of adoptive placement shall be filed with the clerk of a court of appropriate venue as authorized by Article 1180. Acts 1991, No. 235, §12, eff. Jan. 1, 1992.
LA Chil Code art. 1177 (2021)
2021 Louisiana Laws|Children's Code|Art. 1177. Hearing

A. The application for court approval of adoptive placement shall be set for hearing in chambers, confidentially, and in a summary manner within forty-eight hours of its filing. B. At the hearing, the prospective adoptive parents shall testify under oath concerning their fitness to receive the child into their care and custody, including but not limited to: (1) Their moral fitness, previous criminal records or validated complaints of child abuse or neglect, if any. (2) Their mental and physical health. (3) Their financial capacity and disposition to provide the child with food, clothing, medical care, and other material needs. (4) Their capacity and disposition to give the child love, affection, and guidance and to undertake the responsibilities of becoming the child's parents. (5) The adequacy of the physical environment of their home and neighborhood for the placement of the child. (6) The names and ages of other family members who would reside with the child in the prospective adoptive home and their attitude toward the proposed adoption. (7) The stability and permanence, as a family unit, of the proposed adoptive home. Acts 1991, No. 235, §12, eff. Jan. 1, 1992.
LA Chil Code art. 1178 (2021)
2021 Louisiana Laws|Children's Code|Art. 1178. Order and revocation

A. At the conclusion of the hearing, the court shall render an order approving or disapproving the placement of the child with the prospective adoptive parents. B. The order shall be in writing, dated, and signed by the court and shall authorize adoptive placement of a child at any time within a period of twelve months from its date. C. A certified copy of a court order approving the adoptive placement shall be given to the prospective adoptive parents. D. Any order disapproving the adoptive placement shall include specific reasons therefor. E. The court shall render a decision that is in the best interest of the child and shall consider all relevant factors including those provided in Article 1177(B). F.(1) The existence of a criminal record of a prospective adoptive parent shall not be automatic grounds to disapprove placement of the child with the prospective adoptive parents. The court shall consider all of the following: (a) The nature of the offenses. (b) The number of offenses committed. (c) The length of time between offenses and between the last offense committed and the application for court approval. (2) Subsequent to the entry of an order approving an adoptive placement, if the result of a criminal records check or the results of abuse or neglect validated complaint records check indicate that the prospective adoptive parents failed to disclose such unfavorable information at the hearing, the court may issue an instanter order taking protective custody of the child, pursuant to Article 619, if this information, if known, together with other evidence presented at the hearing would have resulted in the court's disapproval of the adoptive placement. Acts 1991, No. 235, §12, eff. Jan. 1, 1992; Acts 2003, No. 567, §1; Acts 2013, No. 187, §1.
LA Chil Code art. 1179 (2021)
2021 Louisiana Laws|Children's Code|Art. 1179. Appeal

A. Appeal from an order disapproving the adoptive placement shall be by trial de novo in the court of appeal, based upon the criteria set out in Article 1177. B. The appeal shall be heard in chambers, confidentially, in a summary manner, and within forty-eight hours of its filing. Acts 1991, No. 235, §12, eff. Jan. 1, 1992.
LA Chil Code art. 1180 (2021)
2021 Louisiana Laws|Children's Code|Art. 1180. Venue and jurisdiction in adoption

A. A proceeding for the adoption of a child may be commenced in either: (1) The juvenile court in the parish of the domicile of the petitioner. (2) The juvenile court in the parish of the domicile of the custodian of the child. (3) The juvenile court in the parish in which a voluntary act of surrender has been executed with respect to the child to be adopted. (4) The juvenile court in which the child has been adjudicated a child in need of care or in which the child in need of care proceeding is pending. (5) The juvenile court which previously terminated parental rights of a parent with respect to the child to be adopted. B. An attorney at law named as representative of the prospective adoptive parent shall not be deemed the legal custodian of the child for purposes of proper jurisdiction or venue. C. Upon filing of the act of voluntary surrender approved by the court according to Article 1131(C), the court of competent venue and jurisdiction wherein the surrender is filed shall have exclusive, original jurisdiction over all issues of custody and adoption of the child during the pendency of the proceedings, unless the child is in the custody of the Department of Children and Family Services. Acts 1991, No. 235, §12, eff. Jan. 1, 1992; Acts 1999, No. 1062, §4, eff. Jan. 1, 2000; Acts 2001, No. 910, §1.
LA Chil Code art. 1181 (2021)
2021 Louisiana Laws|Children's Code|Art. 1181. Adoption records

The clerks of court shall keep separate indices of all suits filed in accordance with this Title, and shall index these suits in the name of the parties filing the petition and in the name of the child to be adopted. Acts 1991, No. 235, §12, eff. Jan. 1, 1992.
LA Chil Code art. 1182 (2021)
2021 Louisiana Laws|Children's Code|Art. 1182. Records of adoption decrees

A. Whenever an interlocutory decree of adoption has been granted, the clerk of court shall forward a certified copy of the decree to the Department of Children and Family Services. B. Whenever a final decree of adoption has been granted with regard to a child born in Louisiana, the clerk of court shall forward, on a form supplied by the Department of Children and Family Services, a certificate of the decree to the state registrar of vital records. Acts 1991, No. 235, §12, eff. Jan. 1, 1992.
LA Chil Code art. 1183 (2021)
2021 Louisiana Laws|Children's Code|Art. 1183. Reports of annulments of adoption decrees

The clerk of court shall prepare, within ten days after a decree of annulment of adoption becomes final, a certificate of the decree of annulment on forms furnished by the state registrar of vital records. On or before the fifteenth day of each month, the clerk shall forward any certificates prepared by him during the preceding calendar month to the state registrar of vital records. Acts 1991, No. 235, §12, eff. Jan. 1, 1992.
LA Chil Code art. 1184 (2021)
2021 Louisiana Laws|Children's Code|Art. 1184. Admission to hearings

All adoption proceedings shall be heard by the judge in chambers, and no one shall be admitted to the hearings except the parties in interest, their attorneys, and officers of the court. The court, in its discretion, may grant the request of a petitioner to permit others to be present at the hearing. Acts 1991, No. 235, §12, eff. Jan. 1, 1992.
LA Chil Code art. 1185 (2021)
2021 Louisiana Laws|Children's Code|Art. 1185. Confidential reports

No one except the judge presiding in the case, his successor, or a curator ad hoc, as provided for in Article 1191, shall have access to the confidential records of the court pursuant to this Title. Following final disposition of an adoption case, the reports submitted by the department to the judge shall be retained in the court's confidential adoption record. Acts 1991, No. 235, §12, eff. Jan. 1, 1992; Acts 2008, No. 583, §1.
LA Chil Code art. 1186 (2021)
2021 Louisiana Laws|Children's Code|Art. 1186. Confidential adoption records; disclosure

A. All adoption records shall be retained in confidential files, and it shall be unlawful for anyone except the biological or adopting parent to disclose any identifying information concerning any individual adoption case, except upon order of the court, after giving proper notice as required in Article 1190 or as otherwise authorized by this Code, or for purposes directly connected with an adoption agency's responsibilities in relation to adoption work as permitted by its rules and regulations. B. If the agency, firm, or lawyer ceases to do business in this state, it shall transfer its adoption records to the Department of Children and Family Services or another transferee approved by the department. Thereafter, the transferee shall ensure the preservation and confidentiality of records required by Paragraph A of this Article and assumes responsibility for providing nonidentifying information as required by Articles 1127 and 1127.1. C. Any person who violates this requirement of confidentiality shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned for not more than ninety days, or both. Acts 1991, No. 235, §12, eff. Jan. 1, 1992; Acts 1999, No. 1062, §4, eff. Jan. 1, 2000; Acts 2003, No. 812, §1; Acts 2008, No. 583, §1.
LA Chil Code art. 1187 (2021)
2021 Louisiana Laws|Children's Code|Art. 1187. Court records of proceedings

All court records of adoption proceedings shall be confidential and shall not be open to inspection except on written authorization by the court and there shall be no publication thereof. Acts 1991, No. 235, §12, eff. Jan. 1, 1992.
LA Chil Code art. 1188 (2021)
2021 Louisiana Laws|Children's Code|Art. 1188. Motion for disclosure

A. An adopted person or, if still a minor, his legal representative on his behalf may file a motion for disclosure of information pertaining to his adoption pursuant to Article 1189. The action shall be styled: "In re the Adoption of _____________". B. A biological sibling or descendant of an adopted person, or if still a minor, his legal representative on his behalf, may file a motion for disclosure pursuant to Article 1189. C. This action and the limited medical exception provision of Article 1127 shall be the exclusive means for gaining access to records of adoptions whether maintained by this court, some other court, an adoption agency, any state agency, or private individual, notwithstanding provisions of law to the contrary. Acts 1991, No. 235, §12, eff. Jan. 1, 1992; Acts 1995, No. 1108, §1; Acts 2008, No. 583, §1.
LA Chil Code art. 1189 (2021)
2021 Louisiana Laws|Children's Code|Art. 1189. Grounds for disclosure

A motion for disclosure shall show compelling necessity overriding the general policy of confidentiality for adoption records by alleging any of the following: (1) There are inheritance rights which are or may be due from the biological parents of the adopted person in accordance with the Civil Code. (2) There is a medical necessity requiring information about the biological family of the adopted person or his own preadoption health history in order to treat the adopted person, his siblings, or his descendants. (3) Both the adopted person, or the adoptive parent of a minor or a deceased adoptive person, or a descendant of a deceased adopted person, or his parent if a minor, and a person reasonably believed to be his biological parent or biological sibling, or a parent, sibling, or descendant, or his parent if a minor, of a deceased biological parent have registered with the department pursuant to Chapter 15 of this Title. (4) The information is otherwise required to be disclosed by federal or state law. Acts 1991, No. 235, §12, eff. Jan. 1, 1992; Acts 1997, No. 715, §1; Acts 2008, No. 583, §1; Acts 2010, No. 266, §1.