Lawyers challenge imbalance of power
Budget statute affected juvenile codes and gives the Department of Child Services oversight of judicial decision-making.
Indiana Department of Child Services
Articles
House OKs child support-casino bill
Lawmakers have passed a bill that allows the Indiana Department of Child Services to more efficiently collect delinquent child
support, including a gaming intercept requiring casinos to check whether gamers are on a state delinquency list before releasing
large jackpots to them.
DCS seeks stay on rate-cut injunction
The Department of Child Services wants a federal judge to stay the preliminary injunction preventing it from cut ting reimbursement
rates, arguing the results of the injunction will be detrimental to children receiving services.
Legislature’s final days bring up merit selection, out-of-state placement issues
Hoosier lawyers and judges were kept on the edge of their seats as the Indiana General Assembly navigated its final days of
the session, reviving talk on two issues that have significant impact on the state’s judiciary and legal system.
Provision in new bill would withhold ‘big’ wins from deadbeat parents
State lawmakers want to crack down on child support collections and make it tougher for deadbeat parents to not pay what's owed.
Bill seeks to repeal placements statute
Lawmakers are considering legislation that would repeal a last-minute 2009 special session provision that gave the Indiana Department of Child Services key control in deciding whether juveniles should be placed outside the state.
Parents, child service provider group sue DCS over subsidies
In a one-two punch, a pair of lawsuits filed a week apart in December hit the Indiana Department of Child Services square
in the gut over how the agency planned to reduce payment rates for foster and adoptive parents and juvenile service providers.
Mistake invalidates termination of dad’s rights
A father's consent to voluntarily terminate his parental rights so his sister could adopt his daughter was invalidated by misrepresentations made by a family case manager for the Department of Child Services. As such, the father's petition to set aside the judgment should have been granted, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled today.
Senate panel approves gaming intercept tool
The full Senate will now decide whether casinos should be forced to check if certain gamblers winning larger jackpots are on a delinquent child support list, and if those gaming winnings should be automatically frozen and put toward the amount owed.
Houses active as session nears end
As this year's legislative session winds down, several bills of interest to the legal community have made it through both
houses, but many remained stuck in conference committee Thursday.
Out-of-state placement bill goes to House
A legislative committee has given its OK to a bill that would repeal a last-minute 2009 special session provision, which gave the Indiana Department of Child Services key control in deciding whether juveniles can be placed outside the state.
COA sets standard in parental rights cases
In addressing a statutory inconsistency on parental rights terminations, the Indiana Court of Appeals has held that trial judges must offer findings of fact in those types of cases just as they're required to by law for children in need of services cases and grandparent visitation matters.
Judge blocks DCS rate changes for now
A federal judge in Indianapolis has temporarily blocked the Indiana Department of Child Services from reducing the amounts
it pays to foster and adoptive parents and juvenile-service providers.
Legislature’s end suspenseful for legal community
As the Indiana General Assembly got down to its final hours in a short-session, significant changes for the Hoosier legal community were on the table to possibly increase the number of appellate judges, change how one county chooses its trial judges, and impact how juveniles can be placed outside the state.
‘Quality of care’ at stake in DCS rate-cut case
The federal judge who granted a preliminary injunction in the combined suits against the Department of Child Services for cutting reimbursement rates for adoptive and foster parents and child care agencies found the quality of care for children would suffer if the rate cuts stood.
DCS to appeal injunction on rate cuts
The Indiana Department of Child Services wants the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals to review a judge's decision to temporarily stop DCS rate cuts.
Court erred in ordering DCS to pay costs
The Indiana Department of Child Services isn't responsible for the costs of a minor's secure detention because it never entered into a written agreement with the juvenile court to cover the costs, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled today.
‘Rocket docket’ now set for juvenile appeals
New rules from the Indiana Supreme Court this week officially create an expedited "rocket docket" for certain juvenile cases going through the appellate system.
Court upholds out-of-state juvenile placement
The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed the placement of a juvenile delinquent in an out-of-state shelter care facility over the objection of the Indiana Department of Child Services, finding the trial court complied with statutes that allow it to place the juvenile in a non-Indiana facility. A recent change to one of those statutes now shifts the burden of payment to out-of-state facilities from DCS to the counties.
Nonprofit sues over DCS rate cuts
A nonprofit organization made up of agencies that provide services to abused and neglected kids is suing the Indiana Department of Child Services for cutting rates paid to the agencies next year.