2023 Iowa Code › Title VI - HUMAN SERVICES › Chapter 237 - CHILD FOSTER CARE FACILITIES › Section 237.20 - Local board duties.

237.20 Local board duties.
A local board shall, except in delinquency cases, do the following:
1. Review the case of each child receiving foster care assigned to a local board in accordance with written protocols adopted pursuant to section 237.16, subsection 4, to determine whether satisfactory progress is being made toward the goals of the case permanency plan pursuant to section 237.22. The timing and frequency of a review of each case by a local board shall take into consideration the permanency goals, placement setting, and frequency of any court reviews of the case.
a. During each review, the agency responsible for the placement of or services provided to the child shall attend the review and the local board shall review all of the following:
(1) The past, current, and future status of the child and placement as shown through the case permanency plan and case progress reports submitted by the agency responsible for the placement of the child and other information the board may require.
(2) The efforts of the agency responsible for the placement of the child to locate and provide services to the child’s biological or adoptive parents, legal guardians, or fictive kin providing the majority of a child’s daily food, lodging, and support.
(3) The efforts of the agency responsible for the placement of the child to facilitate the return of the child to the home or to find an alternative permanent placement other than foster care if reunion with the parent or previous custodian is not feasible. The agency shall report to the board all factors which either favor or mitigate against a decision or alternative with regard to these matters.
(4) Any problems, solutions, or alternatives which may be capable of investigation, or other matters with regard to the child which the agency responsible for the placement of the child or the board feels should be investigated with regard to the best interests of the state or of the child.
(5) The compliance of the interested parties with the decision-making rights and responsibilities contained in the family foster care or preadoptive care agreement applicable to a child.
b. A person notified pursuant to subsection 4 shall either attend the review or submit a statement as requested by the local board or in accordance with a written protocol jointly developed by the state board and the department. Statements may, upon the request of an interested party or upon motion of the local board, be given in a private setting. Statements may be made in written, oral, or electronic form. Local board reviews shall pertain to the permanency plan and shall not include issues that do not pertain to the permanency plan.
c. A person who gives an oral statement has the right to representation by counsel at the review.
d. An agency or individual providing services to the child shall submit statements as requested by the local board. Written or recorded statements from other interested parties may also be considered by the board in its review.
2. a. Submit to the appropriate court and the department within fifteen days after the review under subsection 1, the findings and recommendations of the review. The local board shall ensure that the most recent report is available for a court hearing. The report shall include information regarding the case permanency plan and the progress in attaining the permanency goals. The report shall not include issues that do not pertain to the case permanency plan. The findings and recommendations shall include the proposed date of the next review by the local board. The local board shall notify the persons specified in subsection 4 of the findings and recommendations.
b. If the person or agency responsible for services provided to the child disagrees with the review findings or recommendations, the person or agency shall respond during the review or submit a statement to the local board and the court within ten working days of receiving the local board’s report. The response shall explain the reasons the person or agency disagrees with the board’s findings or does not plan to implement the board’s recommendations.
3. Encourage placement of the child in the most appropriate setting reflecting the provisions of chapter 232.
4. a. Notify the following persons at least ten days before the review of a case of a child receiving foster care:
(1) The person, court, or agency responsible for the child.
(2) The parent or parents of the child unless termination of parental rights has occurred pursuant to section 232.117.
(3) The foster care provider of the child.
(4) The child receiving foster care if the child is fourteen years of age or older. The child shall be informed of the review’s purpose and procedure, and of the right to have a guardian ad litem present.
(5) The guardian ad litem of the foster child. An attorney appointed as guardian ad litem shall be eligible for compensation under section 232.141, subsection 2.
(6) The department.
(7) The county attorney.
(8) The person providing services to the child or the child’s family.
(9) An intervenor.
b. The notice shall include a statement that the person notified has the right to representation by counsel at the review.
84 Acts, ch 1279, §31; 88 Acts, ch 1233, §10 – 15; 89 Acts, ch 64, §1 – 3; 92 Acts, ch 1141, §9 – 12; 97 Acts, ch 164, §7; 99 Acts, ch 135, §22; 2003 Acts, ch 151, §8; 2009 Acts, ch 41, §263; 2009 Acts, ch 181, §114; 2022 Acts, ch 1055, §7 – 11
Referred to in §237.18, 237.21
Subsection 1, unnumbered paragraph 1 amended
Subsection 1, paragraph a, subparagraph (2) amended
Subsection 1, paragraphs b, c, and d amended
Subsection 2, paragraph a amended
Subsection 4, paragraph a, NEW subparagraph (9)