Sec. 17a-111b. Commissioner of Children and Families' duties re reunification of child with parent. Court determination on motion that reunification efforts are not required. Permanency plans.
Sec. 17a-111b. Commissioner of Children and Families' duties re reunification of child with parent. Court determination on motion that reunification efforts
are not required. Permanency plans. (a) The Commissioner of Children and Families
shall make reasonable efforts to reunify a parent with a child unless the court (1) determines that such efforts are not required pursuant to subsection (b) of this section or
subsection (j) of section 17a-112, or (2) has approved a permanency plan other than
reunification pursuant to subsection (k) of section 46b-129.
(b) The Commissioner of Children and Families or any other party may, at any time,
file a motion with the court for a determination that reasonable efforts to reunify the
parent with the child are not required. The court shall hold an evidentiary hearing on
the motion not later than thirty days after the filing of the motion or may consolidate
the hearing with a trial on a petition to terminate parental rights pursuant to section 17a-112. The court may determine that such efforts are not required if the court finds upon
clear and convincing evidence that: (1) The parent has subjected the child to the following aggravated circumstances: (A) The child has been abandoned, as defined in subsection (j) of section 17a-112; or (B) the parent has inflicted or knowingly permitted another
person to inflict sexual molestation or exploitation or severe physical abuse on the child
or engaged in a pattern of abuse of the child; (2) the parent has killed, through deliberate,
nonaccidental act, another child of the parent or a sibling of the child, or has requested,
commanded, importuned, attempted, conspired or solicited to commit or knowingly
permitted another person to commit the killing of the child, another child of the parent
or sibling of the child, or has committed or knowingly permitted another person to
commit an assault, through deliberate, nonaccidental act, that resulted in serious bodily
injury of the child, another child of the parent or a sibling of the child; (3) the parental
rights of the parent to a sibling have been terminated within three years of the filing of
a petition pursuant to this section, provided the commissioner has made reasonable
efforts to reunify the parent with the child during a period of at least ninety days; (4)
the parent was convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction of sexual assault, except
a conviction of a violation of section 53a-71 or 53a-73a resulting in the conception of
the child; or (5) the child was placed in the care and control of the commissioner pursuant
to the provisions of sections 17a-57 to 17a-61, inclusive.
(c) If the court determines that such efforts are not required, the court shall, at such
hearing or at a hearing held not later than thirty days after such determination, approve
a permanency plan for such child. The plan may include (1) adoption and a requirement
that the commissioner file a petition to terminate parental rights, (2) long-term foster
care with a relative licensed as a foster parent or certified as a relative caregiver, (3)
transfer of guardianship, or (4) such other planned permanent living arrangement as
may be ordered by the court, provided the commissioner has documented a compelling
reason why it would not be in the best interests of the child for the permanency plan to
include one of the options set forth in subdivisions (1) to (3), inclusive, of this subsection.
The child's health and safety shall be of paramount concern in formulating such plan.
(d) If the court determines that reasonable efforts to reunify the parent with the child
are not required, the Department of Children and Families shall use its best efforts
to maintain the child in the initial out-of-home placement, provided the department
determines that such placement is in the best interests of the child, until such time as a
permanent home for the child is found or the child is placed for adoption. If the permanency plan calls for placing the child for adoption or in some other permanent home,
good faith efforts shall be made to place the child for adoption or in some other permanent
home.
(P.A. 98-241, S. 7, 18; P.A. 00-137, S. 14; P.A. 01-142, S. 3; P.A. 06-102, S. 6.)
History: P.A. 98-241 effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 00-137 amended Subsec. (a)(1)(A) to change reference from Sec.
17a-112 (c) to Sec. 17a-112 (j); P.A. 01-142 amended Subsec. (a) by permitting "any other party" to petition court for
determination, requiring court to hold evidentiary hearing on petition within 30 days of filing of petition, requiring standard
for court to determine that efforts to reunify parent with child are not appropriate to be upon clear and convincing evidence,
adding "another child of the parent or" before "a sibling of the child", and adding Subdiv. (5) re placement of child in care
and control of commissioner pursuant to Secs. 17a-57 to 17a-61, inclusive; P.A. 06-102 inserted new Subsec. (a) re
commissioner's duty to make reasonable efforts to reunify a parent with a child unless a court approves a permanency
plan to the contrary or determines efforts are not required, redesignated existing Subsecs. (a) and (b) as Subsecs. (b) and
(c), amended Subsec. (b) to substitute the filing of a motion for a petition and insert provisions re consolidated hearings,
amended Subsecs. (b)(1)(B) and (b)(2) to insert "or knowingly permitted another person to inflict", amended Subsec. (b)(3)
to delete "involuntarily" re termination of parental rights to a sibling, amended Subsec. (c) to insert Subdiv. designators
and rewrite provisions re adoption, amended Subsec. (c)(2) to permit long-term foster care with a licensed or certified
relative and delete independent living as a placement option, inserted new Subsec. (c)(4) re other planned living arrangement
as may be ordered by the court, added new Subsec. (d) re duties of department if the court determines that reasonable efforts
to reunify the parent and child are not required, and made technical changes and substituted "required" for "appropriate" re
reunification efforts throughout.