2023 Wyoming Statutes › Title 14 - Children › Chapter 6 - Juveniles › Article 4 - Children in Need of Supervision Act › Section 14-6-429 - Decree Where Child Adjudged in Need of Supervision; Dispositions; Terms and Conditions; Legal Custody.

14-6-429. Decree where child adjudged in need of supervision; dispositions; terms and conditions; legal custody.
(a) In determining the disposition to be made under this act in regard to any child:
(i) The court shall review the predisposition report, the recommendations, if any, of the multidisciplinary team, the case plan and other reports or evaluations ordered by the court and indicate on the record what materials were considered in reaching the disposition;
(ii) If the court does not place the child in accordance with the recommendations of the predisposition report or multidisciplinary team, the court shall enter on the record specific findings of fact relied upon to support its decision to deviate from the recommended disposition;
(iii) When a child is adjudged by the court to be in need of supervision the court shall enter its decree to that effect and make a disposition as provided in this section that places the child in the least restrictive environment consistent with what is best suited to the public interest of preserving families, the physical, mental and moral welfare of the child;
(iv) When a child is adjudged to be in need of supervision the court shall ensure that reasonable efforts were made by the department of family services to prevent or eliminate the need for removal of the child from the child's home or to make it possible for the child to return to the child's home. Before placing a child outside of the home, the court shall find by clear and convincing evidence that to return the child to the child's home would not be in the best interest of the child despite efforts that have been made;
(v) The court shall not order an out-of-state placement unless:
(A) Evidence has been presented to the court regarding the costs of the out-of-state placement being ordered together with evidence of the comparative costs of any suitable alternative in-state treatment program or facility, as determined by the department of family services pursuant to W.S. 21-13-315(d)(vii), whether or not placement in the in-state program or facility is currently available;
(B) The court makes an affirmative finding on the record that no placement can be made in a Wyoming institution or in a private residential treatment facility or group home located in Wyoming that can provide adequate treatment or services for the child; and
(C) The court states on the record why no in-state placement is available.
(b) If the child is found to be in need of supervision the court may:
(i) Permit the child to remain in the custody of his parents, guardian or custodian under protective supervision, subject to terms and conditions prescribed by the court;
(ii) Transfer temporary legal custody to a relative or other suitable adult the court finds qualified to receive and care for the child, with supervision, subject to terms and conditions prescribed by the court;
(iii) Transfer temporary legal custody to a state or local public agency responsible for the care and placement of children in need of supervision, provided:
(A) The child shall not be committed to the Wyoming boys' school or the Wyoming girls' school unless the child has attained the age of twelve (12) years and is also found delinquent;
(B) The court may not transfer the temporary legal custody to a state agency for out-of-community placement unless the child or the child's family has failed to perform under a court supervised consent decree or the department of family services has certified that a community treatment plan has proven unsuccessful.
(c) In cases where a child is ordered removed from the child's home:
(i) If a child is committed or transferred to an agency or institution under this section:
(A) At least every three (3) months the agency or institution shall recommend to the court if the order should be continued;
(B) Not less than once every six (6) months, the court of jurisdiction shall conduct a formal review to assess and determine the appropriateness of the current placement, the reasonable efforts made to reunify the family, the safety of the child and the permanency plan for the child. During this review:
(I) The department of family services shall present to the court:
(1) If the permanency plan is classified as another planned permanent living arrangement, documentation of the ongoing and unsuccessful efforts to return the child home or place the child for adoption or with a legal guardian or a fit and willing relative for purposes of guardianship or adoption, including evidence of efforts to use social media or other search technology to find biological family members for the child;
(2) Efforts made to ensure that the child is provided, to the greatest extent possible, the opportunity to participate in age appropriate or developmentally appropriate activities and experiences as defined in W.S. 14-13-101(a)(i) to promote healthy child and adolescent development consistent with W.S. 14-13-101 through 14-13-104; and
(3) If the child is placed in a qualified residential treatment program:
a. Information to show that ongoing assessment of the child's strengths and needs continues to support the determination that placement in a qualified residential treatment program provides the most effective and appropriate level of care for the child in the least restrictive environment, consistent with the short-term and long-term goals of the child and the child's permanency plan;
b. The specific treatment needs that will be met for the child in the placement;
c. The length of time the child is expected to remain in the placement;
d. The efforts made by the department of family services to prepare the child to return home or be placed for adoption or legal guardianship.
(II) The court shall:
(1) Determine whether the permanency plan is in the best interest of the child and whether the department of family services has made reasonable efforts to finalize the plan;
(2) Order the department of family services to take any additional steps necessary to effectuate the terms of the permanency plan;
(3) Ask the child or, if the child is not present at the review, the child's guardian ad litem or other legal representative about the child s desired permanency outcome;
(4) If the permanency plan is classified as another planned permanent living arrangement:
a. Make a judicial determination and explain why, as of the date of the review, another planned permanent living arrangement is the best permanency plan for the child; and
b. Provide reasons why it continues not to be in the best interest of the child to return home or be placed for adoption or with a legal guardian, or be placed with a fit and willing relative for purposes of guardianship or adoption.
(5) Make findings whether the child has been provided, to the greatest extent possible, the opportunity to participate in age appropriate or developmentally appropriate activities and experiences as defined in W.S. 14-13-101(a)(i) to promote healthy child and adolescent development consistent with W.S. 14-13-101 through 14-13-104.
(ii) The court shall order the parents or other legally obligated person to pay a reasonable sum for the support and treatment of the child as required by W.S. 14-6-435, or shall state on the record the reasons why an order for support was not entered;
(iii) In cases where the child is placed in custody of the department, support shall be established by the department through a separate civil action;
(iv) Any order regarding potential placement at a psychiatric residential treatment facility shall not specify a particular psychiatric residential treatment facility or level of care for the placement of the child;
(v) If the child is placed in a qualified residential treatment program:
(A) Within thirty (30) days of the placement a qualified individual shall conduct an assessment to determine whether the child's needs can be met through placement with family members or in a foster family home, or if the placement in a qualified residential treatment program provides the most effective and appropriate level of care for the child in the least restrictive environment consistent with the short-term and long-term goals of the child and the child's permanency plan;
(B) Within sixty (60) days of the placement the court shall:
(I) Consider the assessment completed pursuant to subparagraph (A) of this paragraph;
(II) Determine whether the needs of the child can be met through placement in a foster family home or whether the placement in a qualified residential treatment program provides the most effective and appropriate level of care for the child in the least restrictive environment;
(III) Determine whether placement is consistent with the short-term and long-term goals for the child, as specified in the child's permanency plan;
(IV) Approve or disapprove the placement.
(d) As a part of any order of disposition and the terms and conditions thereof, the court may:
(i) Require a child to perform a designated number of hours of community service, or to participate in a work program or to perform labor or services under the supervision of a responsible adult designated by the court and within the limits of applicable laws and regulations governing child labor, to enable the child to meet the obligations imposed pursuant to this act or for the purpose of discipline and rehabilitation when deemed necessary or desirable by the court;
(ii) Order the child to be examined or treated by a physician, surgeon, psychiatrist or psychologist or to obtain other specialized treatment, care, counseling or training, and place the child in a hospital or medical facility, youth camp, school or other suitable facility for treatment;
(iii) Restrict or restrain the child's driving privileges for a period of time the court deems appropriate, and if necessary to enforce the restrictions the court may take possession of the child's driver's license;
(iv) Impose any demands, requirements, limitations, restrictions or restraints on the child, and do all things with regard to the child that his parents might reasonably and lawfully do under similar circumstances;
(v) Order the child, or his parents, or both, to undergo evaluation and indicated treatment or another program designed to address problems which contributed to the adjudication. A parent who willfully violates or neglects or refuses to comply with any order of the court may be found in contempt and punished as provided by W.S. 14-6-438;
(vi) After notice to appear, order the child's custodial and noncustodial parent or guardian to participate in the child's treatment or plan of supervision or probation, or otherwise order the performance of any acts which are reasonably necessary to aid the juvenile in completion of court ordered obligations;
(vii) Require the child's parents or guardian to attend a parenting class or other appropriate education or treatment and to pay all or part of the cost of the class, education or treatment in accordance with the court's determination of their ability to pay;
(viii) Require the child's parents or guardian and the child to participate in a court supervised treatment program qualified under W.S. 7-13-1601 through 7-13-1615, provided the court supervised treatment program accepts the child's parents or guardian and the child for participation in its program.
Note: Effective 7/1/2024 this paragraph will read as:
(viii) Require the child's parents or guardian and the child to participate in a court supervised treatment program qualified under W.S. 5-12-101 through 5-12-118, provided the court supervised treatment program accepts the child's parents or guardian and the child for participation in its program.
(e) An institution, organization or agency vested with legal custody of a child by court order shall with court approval, have the right to determine where and with whom the child shall live, provided that placement of the child does not remove him from the state of Wyoming without court authorization. An individual vested with legal custody of a child by court order shall personally exercise custodial rights and responsibilities unless otherwise authorized by the court.
(f) Whenever the court vests legal custody of a child in an institution, organization or agency it shall transmit with the order copies of all clinical reports, social studies and other information pertinent to the care and treatment of the child. The institution, organization or agency receiving legal custody of a child shall provide the court with any information concerning the child that the court may request.
(g) In placing a child in the custody of an individual or a private agency or institution, the court shall give primary consideration to the needs and welfare of the child. Where a choice of equivalent services exists, the court shall, whenever practicable, select a person or an agency or institution governed by persons of the same religion as that of the parents of the child. In case of a difference in the religious faith of the parents, then the court shall select the person, agency or institution governed by persons of the religious faith of the child, or if the religious faith of the child is not ascertainable, then of the faith of either parent.
(h) Any disposition order for a child in need of supervision continues in force for not more than one (1) year, as ordered by the court. A hearing shall be held before the expiration of the disposition order to determine the appropriateness of continuing the order including but not limited to whether the child should be returned to the parent's custody, remain under custody as ordered or have the custody order amended. The court shall enter an appropriate disposition order after each hearing under this subsection.
(j) The clerk of the court granting probation to a youth adjudicated in need of supervision shall send a certified copy of the order to the department of family services if the department has been requested to provide supervision of the probationer.
(k) At the time of granting probation or at any later time, the court may request the department of family services to provide supervision of the probationer. The supervising probation officer shall not be required to supervise or report on a youth granted probation unless requested to do so by the court granting probation.
(m) A department of state government vested with temporary legal custody of a child by court order under this section has authority to place the child in a residential facility or other out-of-home placement of similar or less restrictive confinement provided:
(i) At least ten (10) days prior to the change in placement written notice of the proposed placement is served upon the child, the child's parents, the child's representative, the current placement provider and the office of the district attorney of original jurisdiction, personally or by certified mail to the recipient's last known address; and
(ii) None of the parties within ten (10) days after notice is filed with the juvenile court having jurisdiction, makes a written objection to the proposed change in placement.
(n) Repealed By Laws 2011, Ch. 12, 2.