Opinion ID: 1258640
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The impact of delay

Text: The importance of timely resolution of cases involving the welfare of children cannot be overstated. A child's perception of time differs from that of an adult. See Joseph Goldstein et al., The Best Interests of the Child: The Least Detrimental Alternative 9 (1996) (explaining that a child's sense of time results in high sensitivity to the length of separation from a primary caregiver). As one commentator observed, The legal system views [child welfare] cases as numbers on a docket. However, to a child, waiting for a resolution seems like foreveran eternity with no real family and no sense of belonging. Evelyn Lundberg Stratton, Expediting the Adoption Process at the Appellate Level, 28 Cap. U.L.Rev. 121, 121 (1999). This Court has recognized that justice delayed in custody cases is too often justice denied. See In re R.T.W., 359 N.C. at 545, 614 S.E.2d at 493 (commenting that interminable custody battles do not serve the child's best interest). Notably, our Rules of Appellate Procedure provide for expedited appeals in cases involving termination of parental rights and issues of juvenile abuse, neglect, and dependency. N.C. R.App. P. 3A. Thus, in almost all cases, delay is directly contrary to the best interests of children, which is the polar star of the North Carolina Juvenile Code. In re Montgomery, 311 N.C. 101, 109, 316 S.E.2d 246, 251 (1984) (emphasizing that [t]he fundamental principle underlying North Carolina's approach to controversies involving child neglect and custody [is] that the best interest of the child is the polar star); see also N.C.G.S. § 7B-100(5) (stating that the best interests of the juvenile are of paramount consideration by the court); In re R.T.W., 359 N.C. at 552, 614 S.E.2d at 497 (noting that the denial of a stable home life for children is completely repugnant to their best interests and consequently to the Juvenile Code).