Chapter 260C — Child Protection

15.001 Application of Laws 2005, Chapter 56, Terminology Changes This section says that state agencies must use updated terminology from a 2005 law when they replace printed materials … 260C.0001 This section is a placeholder entry. The substantive content of Chapter 260C begins at section 260C.001. 260C.001 Title, Intent, and Construction This section states the purpose of Minnesota's child protection laws: to keep children safe, preserve family ties when … 260C.007 Definitions This section defines the key terms used in Minnesota's child protection laws, including what it means for a child to be … 260C.008 Foster Care Sibling Bill of Rights This section sets the rules for how long child protection court records are kept and who can see them. Records from … 260C.050 Expert Assistance This section requires training for judges, attorneys, social workers, guardians ad litem, and other professionals who … 260C.101 Jurisdiction The juvenile court has the sole authority to handle cases involving children who may need protection or services, … 260C.121 Venue This section gives juvenile courts the authority to hear child protection cases. It explains which county has … 260C.125 Case Transfer Process This section allows the court to issue subpoenas to require witnesses to testify and to produce documents in child … 260C.139 Give Life a Chance; Safe Place for Newborns This section sets rules for when a child protection case involves a child from another state or a child placed in … 260C.141 Petition Any person who knows about a child who may need protection can file a petition with the juvenile court. The petition … 260C.143 Procedure; Habitual Truants, Runaways, Offenders This section explains what information a child protection petition must contain, including the facts that show the child … 260C.148 Procedure; Domestic Child Abuse This section describes protective care, which allows a child to be temporarily removed from the home before a court … 260C.150 Diligent Efforts to Identify Parents of a Child; Procedures for Review; Reasonable Efforts This section sets requirements for what must happen when a child is placed in protective care outside the home. The … 260C.151 Summons; Notice This section explains the emergency protective care hearing that must happen within 72 hours after a child is removed … 260C.152 Service of Summons, Notice This section sets rules for notifying parents and other parties about child protection hearings. It requires the court … 260C.154 Failure to Obey Summons or Subpoena; Contempt, Arrest This section gives parents the right to have an attorney in child protection cases. If a parent cannot afford a lawyer, … 260C.157 Investigation; Physical and Mental Examination This section allows the court to appoint a guardian ad litem for the child in a protection case. The guardian ad litem … 260C.163 Hearing Parents, children, and guardians all have the right to attend and participate in child protection hearings. Parents have … 260C.165 Certain Out-of-court Statements Admissible This section sets rules for how hearings in child protection cases are conducted, including the order of evidence, the … 260C.168 Compliance With Indian Child Welfare Act and Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act This section allows the court to order a child, parent, or guardian to undergo a physical or mental health evaluation if … 260C.171 Records This section governs the confidentiality of juvenile protection records. Most records from child protection cases are … 260C.175 Taking Child Into Custody A child can only be taken into custody with a court order, by a police officer who believes the child is in danger, or … 260C.176 Release or Detention This section requires the court to hold a hearing when a child has been removed from the home, to determine whether the … 260C.177 Parental and Law Enforcement Notification This section allows parents to voluntarily agree to have their child placed outside the home temporarily. It sets the … 260C.178 Emergency Removal Hearing When a child is taken into custody, the court must hold an emergency hearing within 72 hours (not counting weekends and … 260C.181 Place of Temporary Custody; Shelter Care Facility This section sets time limits and rules for trial home visits, where a child in foster care is returned to a parent's … 260C.188 Children in Custody; Responsibility for Medical Care This section addresses the rights of noncustodial parents in child protection cases. It requires the agency to make … 260C.190 Family-focused Residential Placement This section requires the responsible social services agency to make 'reasonable efforts' to prevent removal of a child … 260C.193 Dispositions; General Provisions This section gives the court authority to issue various orders in child protection cases, including ordering parents to … 260C.201 Dispositions; Children in Need of Protection or Services or Neglected and in Foster Care If the court finds that a child needs protection or services, the court can order the child to stay at home with … 260C.202 Court Review of Disposition This section requires the agency to hold permanency progress reviews to track whether the case plan is working and … 260C.203 Administrative or Court Review of Placements This section requires that an administrative review of a child's case happen at least every six months while the child … 260C.204 Permanency Progress Review for Children in Foster Care for Six Months This section describes the court review hearing that must happen when a child has been in foster care. The court checks … 260C.205 This section explains the rules for the first permanency hearing in a child protection case, which must happen within 12 … 260C.206 This section covers what happens when the permanency plan is to reunify the child with the parents. The court sets a … 260C.207 This section covers what happens when the permanency plan is to transfer custody of the child to a relative. The court … 260C.208 Information for Child Placement This section covers what happens when the permanency plan for a child is adoption. The agency must take steps to prepare … 260C.209 Background Checks This section addresses permanency when the plan is long-term foster care, which is only allowed in limited circumstances … 260C.212 Children in Placement When a child is placed in foster care, the agency must create a written out-of-home placement plan within 30 days. The … 260C.213 This section covers the out-of-home placement plan, which must describe where the child will live, what services will be … 260C.215 Welfare of Children This section requires the agency to make diligent efforts to place siblings together in the same foster home. If … 260C.217 This section requires the agency to provide visitation between a child in foster care and the child's parents, unless … 260C.219 Agency Responsibilities for Parents and Children in Placement This section requires the agency to offer reunification services to both parents when a child is in foster care. … 260C.221 Relative Search and Engagement; Placement Consideration When a child is removed from home, the social services agency must make a thorough effort to find and notify the child's … 260C.223 Concurrent Permanency Planning This section explains the requirements for voluntary placement agreements, where a parent agrees to place a child in … 260C.225 County Responsibility for Transitional Services Plans This section requires the agency to ask about and consider a child's racial, ethnic, cultural, and tribal heritage when … 260C.227 Voluntary Foster Care; Required Court Review This section sets the rules for voluntary placement agreements between parents and the county. It limits these … 260C.228 Voluntary Foster Care; Child is Colocated With Parent in Treatment Program This section sets requirements for background studies on foster parents and other adults who will live in the same … 260C.229 Voluntary Foster Care for Children Over Age 18; Required Court Review This section sets rules for how a child's education must continue when the child is in foster care. The agency must … 260C.301 Termination of Parental Rights The court can permanently end a parent's legal rights to their child (termination of parental rights) either voluntarily … 260C.303 Venue This section lists the grounds for starting a proceeding to terminate parental rights. These include abandonment, the … 260C.307 Procedures in Terminating Parental Rights This section explains the court's role in deciding whether to terminate parental rights. The court must consider the … 260C.312 Disposition; Parental Rights Not Terminated This section describes what happens after a court orders that parental rights be terminated. It covers the right to … 260C.317 Termination of Parental Rights; Effect When a court terminates parental rights, the parent loses all legal rights to custody, visitation, and decision-making … 260C.325 Guardian This section addresses the transfer of permanent legal and physical custody of a child to a relative when termination of … 260C.328 Change of Guardian; Termination of Guardianship This section allows a court to change or modify an order transferring permanent custody of a child to a relative, if … 260C.329 Reestablishment of the Legal Parent and Child Relationship This section sets rules for when a parent whose rights have been terminated or who lost custody can file a motion asking … 260C.331 Costs of Care This section explains who pays the costs of foster care and court-ordered services in child protection cases. Costs are … 260C.335 Civil Jurisdiction Over Persons Contributing to Need for Protection or Services; Court Orders This section requires the court to hold a permanency hearing within 30 days after termination of parental rights to … 260C.401 This section provides the citation and scope for the 'Fostering Connections' provisions of the child protection law, … 260C.405 Violation of an Order for Protection This section defines key terms used in the extended foster care provisions for young adults ages 18 to 21, including … 260C.411 New Evidence This section establishes the right of a young adult in foster care to continue receiving foster care services and … 260C.415 Appeal This section sets the requirements for creating a transition plan for young adults aging out of foster care, including … 260C.419 Statewide Office of Appellate Counsel and Training This section allows a young adult who left foster care after age 18 to return to foster care before age 21 if the young … 260C.421 Contempt This section requires the court to hold periodic review hearings for young adults in extended foster care to make sure … 260C.425 Criminal Jurisdiction for Contributing to Need for Protection or Services This section addresses the rights of young adults in extended foster care, including the right to participate in … 260C.431 This section explains the responsibilities of the county social services agency for young adults in extended foster … 260C.435 This section sets rules for supervised independent living arrangements for young adults in extended foster care, … 260C.441 This section establishes a process for resolving disagreements between young adults in extended foster care and the … 260C.4411 Pre-northstar Care for Children Foster Care Program This section sets additional requirements for trial independence periods, where a young adult temporarily leaves foster … 260C.4412 Payment for Residential Placements This section addresses the requirements for when a young adult in extended foster care is discharged from the program, … 260C.4413 Initial Clothing Allowance This section sets special rules for young adults with disabilities in extended foster care, ensuring they receive … 260C.446 Distribution of Funds Recovered for Assistance Furnished This section requires the county to help young adults in extended foster care access education and employment training … 260C.451 Foster Care Benefits Past Age 18 Young people in foster care can continue receiving foster care services past age 18 and up to age 21 if they cannot … 260C.452 Successful Transition to Adulthood This section addresses the responsibilities of the county for young adults who were previously in foster care but have … 260C.456 This section requires reporting and data collection on outcomes for young adults in extended foster care, including … 260C.501 This section provides the citation and scope for the permanency provisions of the child protection law, which govern … 260C.503 Permanency Proceedings This section requires the county attorney to file a petition to terminate parental rights when a child has been in … 260C.505 Petition This section lists the statutory grounds for terminating parental rights to a child, including abandonment, neglect, … 260C.507 Admit-deny Hearing This section describes the procedures for a termination of parental rights trial, including the right to a hearing, the … 260C.509 Trial This section allows for a combined permanency and termination of parental rights hearing so that the court can address … 260C.511 Best Interests of the Child This section sets out the required findings the court must make before it can terminate parental rights, including that … 260C.513 Permanency Dispositions When Child Cannot Return Home This section governs what happens after the court terminates parental rights, including the right to appeal and the … 260C.515 Permanency Disposition Orders This section explains the different types of permanent placements available for a child after parental rights are … 260C.517 Findings and Content of Order for Permanency Disposition This section sets the requirements for post-termination review hearings, where the court checks on the progress toward … 260C.519 Further Court Hearings This section requires the agency to make diligent efforts to finalize adoption or other permanent placement for a child … 260C.521 Court Reviews After Permanency Disposition Order This section requires ongoing court reviews of children who are under the guardianship of the commissioner after … 260C.601 Adoption of Children Under Guardianship of Commissioner This section provides the citation and purpose for Minnesota's adoption provisions within the child protection code. 260C.603 Definitions This section defines terms used in the adoption provisions of the child protection code, including 'adoption … 260C.605 Reasonable Efforts to Finalize an Adoption This section establishes who may adopt a child under the child protection code. It sets eligibility requirements for … 260C.607 Review of Progress Toward Adoption This section explains the adoption process, including filing a petition, the home study, the court hearing, and the … 260C.609 Social and Medical History This section requires the court to hold a hearing on the adoption petition and sets out what findings the court must … 260C.611 Adoption Study Required This section requires that prospective adoptive parents receive certain background information about the child being … 260C.613 Social Services Agency as Commissioner's Agent This section governs consent to adoption, including who must consent, how consent is given, and when consent can be … 260C.615 Duties of Commissioner This section establishes the legal effects of an adoption order, including the creation of a new parent-child … 260C.617 Sibling Placement This section addresses adoption records and their confidentiality. Most adoption records are sealed and can only be … 260C.619 Communication and Contact Agreements This section allows adopted persons to access their original birth certificates and adoption records under certain … 260C.621 Jurisdiction and Venue This section addresses adoption assistance payments, which provide financial support to adoptive parents of children … 260C.623 Adoption Petition This section sets out the eligibility requirements for adoption assistance, including which children qualify as having … 260C.625 Documents Filed by Social Services Agency This section describes the process for applying for and receiving adoption assistance, including the adoption assistance … 260C.627 Notice of Adoption Proceedings This section allows adoption assistance agreements to be modified if the child's needs change after the adoption is … 260C.629 Finalization Hearing This section establishes a fair hearing process for adoptive parents who disagree with a decision about adoption … 260C.631 Judgment and Decree This section addresses the continuation of adoption assistance when a family moves to a different state or county. The … 260C.633 Adoption Denied This section requires the state to collect and report data on adoption outcomes, including the number of adoptions … 260C.635 Effect of Adoption This section addresses the role of licensed child-placing agencies in facilitating adoptions under the child protection … 260C.637 This section provides transition and severability provisions for the adoption provisions of the child protection code, … 260C.70 Citation This section addresses the placement of children in foster care settings and the requirements that must be met for … 260C.702 Requirements for Placements in Qualified Residential Treatment Programs This section establishes the requirements for qualified residential treatment programs (QRTPs) for children in foster … 260C.704 Requirements for the Qualified Individual's Assessment of the Child for Placement in a Qualified Residential Treatment Program This section requires an independent assessment by a qualified individual before a child can be placed in a qualified … 260C.706 Family and Permanency Team Requirements This section requires the court to review and approve the placement of a child in a qualified residential treatment … 260C.708 Out-of-home Placement Plan for Qualified Residential Treatment Program Placements This section requires ongoing court reviews of a child's placement in a qualified residential treatment program to … 260C.71 Court Approval Requirements This section addresses the placement preferences for children in foster care, requiring that relatives be considered … 260C.712 Ongoing Reviews and Permanency Hearing Requirements This section requires the agency to document and justify the use of congregate care settings for children in foster care … 260C.714 Review of Extended Qualified Residential Treatment Program Placements This section sets additional requirements for the oversight and monitoring of qualified residential treatment programs, … 260C.80 Office of the Foster Youth Ombudsperson; Board This section establishes the Northstar Care for Children program, which provides a unified system of support for … 260C.81 Organization of the Office of the Foster Youth Ombudsperson This section defines terms used in the Northstar Care for Children program, including 'assessment,' 'basic rate,' … 260C.82 Powers of Foster Youth Ombudsperson; Investigation; Action on Complaints; Recommendations This section explains how payment rates are calculated under the Northstar Care for Children program, including the … 260C.83 Recommendations and Reports to Governor This section sets the rules for determining eligibility for Northstar Care for Children benefits and the process for … 260D.11 Dispositions; Voluntary Foster Care for Treatment This section, from Chapter 260D (Voluntary Foster Care for Treatment), addresses the requirements for voluntary …