Title 9 — Family Law

The officers and agencies of this state and its subdivisions having authority to place children are empowered to enter into agreements with appropriate officers or agencies of or in other party states under paragraph (b) of Article V of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of …

Any requirements for visitation, inspection or supervision of children, homes, institutions, or other agencies in another party state which may apply under this subchapter or as required by any court of record of this state shall be deemed to be met if performed pursuant to an ag…

Any court having jurisdiction to place delinquent children may place such a child in an institution in another state pursuant to Article VI of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children and shall retain jurisdiction as provided in Article V thereof.

Financial responsibility for any child placed pursuant to the provisions of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of Article V thereof in the first instance. However, in the event of partial or complete default o…

SECTION 1 SECTION 1 It is the purpose and policy of the party states to cooperate with each other to assure that adoptive children for whom federally funded medical adoption assistance is desirable and necessary shall continue to receive such adoption assistance, including medica…

THE INTERSTATE COMPACT FOR JUVENILES The Interstate Compact for Juveniles is enacted into law and entered into with all other jurisdictions legally joining in the compact in the form substantially as follows: THE INTERSTATE COMPACT FOR JUVENILES ARTICLE I Purpose The compacting s…

(1) As used in this chapter:(1) “Child” means a person under eighteen (18) years of age;(2) (A) “Child abuse” means any nonaccidental physical injury, mental injury, sexual abuse, or sexual exploitation inflicted by those legally responsible for the care and maintenance of the ch…

A.C.A. § 9-30-104Current through all legislation of the 2025 Regular Session.Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated Official EditionCopyright © 2026 by the State of Arkansas All rights reserved

(a) The Department of Human Services shall adopt rules necessary for the implementation of this chapter. (b) Regarding the administration of the Children's Trust Fund, the department shall:(1) Promulgate rules prescribing the procedure for establishing local councils;(2) Provide …

(a) (1) The Department of Human Services shall be the sole entity authorized to receive money from the United States Government, other governments, persons, or any other entities for the Children's Trust Fund and the One Percent to Prevent Fund.(2) The moneys received for the Chi…

(a) The Department of Human Services may disburse money appropriated from the Children's Trust Fund exclusively to make grants or loans to any person, group of persons, or legal entity for the development or operation of a prevention program if at least all of the following condi…

(1) Regarding the Children's Trust Fund, in making grants or loans to a local council, the Department of Human Services shall consider the degree to which the local council meets the following criteria:(1) (A) Has as its primary purpose the development and facilitation of a commu…

(a) There is created on the books of the Treasurer of State, the Auditor of State, and the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State a special trust fund to be known as the “Children's Trust Fund”. (b) All county clerks in this state shall charge a fee of ten dollars ($10.00) in addition…

(1) As used in this subchapter:(1) “ADEPT” means a program that provides assessment, diagnosis, evaluation, placement, and treatment services to nonadjudicated and adjudicated youths and their families using a multidiscipline approach and working in coordination with existing juv…

(1) The ADEPT program shall:(1) (A) Provide services to adjudicated and nonadjudicated juveniles on a nonresidential and a residential basis.(B) The target population to be served by this type of program shall be defined by the Secretary of the Department of Human Services;(2) Es…

This subchapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Arkansas Youth Mediation Program Act of 1999”.

(1) The General Assembly recognizes:(1) That the youth of Arkansas are its most important natural resource and they are increasingly at risk due to conflict in their homes, schools, and communities;(2) That mediation programs can help the youth of Arkansas and people in their hom…

(1) As used in this subchapter:(1) “Mediation” means a process in which a neutral person or persons help disputants try to resolve a dispute in whole or in part by reaching an agreement without the mediator or mediators imposing the agreement; and(2) “Program” means the Arkansas …

(a) (1) There is created a program that shall be called the “Arkansas Youth Mediation Program”.(2) In the event funds are appropriated for this purpose, it shall be housed at and operated by the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law and the Universi…

(1) The Arkansas Youth Mediation Program's goals are to:(1) Reduce economic, psychological, and social costs to individuals and public and private institutions arising from disputes involving youth;(2) Reduce court dockets and delays;(3) Increase the ability of youth to resolve c…

(a) Within thirty (30) calendar days, excluding holidays, of being committed to the Division of Youth Services, a juvenile shall have his or her reading proficiency level assessed and a dyslexia screening shall be delivered with fidelity, as defined in § 6-41-602. (b) If a readin…

(a) An individual who teaches nonreaders and juveniles reading at a sixth-grade level or below in the education system of the Division of Youth Services shall:(1) Have and demonstrate proficient knowledge and skills to teach reading consistent with the best practices of scientifi…

The Division of Youth Services shall promulgate rules for implementing this subchapter, and may consult with the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education and make use of Division of Elementary and Secondary Education resources in order to implement this subchapter.

(a) (1) The following agencies shall collaborate in a multiagency effort to rescue abducted or endangered children, implement one (1) or more statewide child abduction response teams, and allocate the respective resources of each agency to cases involving missing or endangered ch…

This subchapter shall be known as and may be cited as the “Arkansas Child Welfare Public Accountability Act”.

To enhance the public's access to child welfare program performance indicators, to raise the public's awareness of the child welfare program's client outcomes, to enable the General Assembly to monitor and assess the performance of the Division of Children and Family Services, th…

(a) (1) The Division of Youth Services, the Division of Aging, Adult, and Behavioral Health Services, and the Division of Children and Family Services are hereby directed to issue to the Senate Interim Committee on Children and Youth a quarterly report on the performance of the c…

(a) (1) (A) The Division of Youth Services, the Division of Aging, Adult, and Behavioral Health Services, and the Division of Children and Family Services shall issue an annual report on the performance of the child welfare system on a county-by-county basis.(B) The Division of A…

(a) The Senate Interim Committee on Children and Youth shall conduct annual performance audits of the Division of Youth Services, the Division of Aging, Adult, and Behavioral Health Services, and the Division of Children and Family Services. (b) To establish performance auditing …

(a) The Division of Youth Services, the Division of Aging, Adult, and Behavioral Health Services, and the Division of Children and Family Services shall make available to the Senate Interim Committee on Children and Youth a list of all reports the unit submits to the Secretary of…

The Senate Interim Committee on Children and Youth shall report annually to the General Assembly its findings and recommendations regarding the child welfare system.

(1) For purposes of this subchapter:(1) “Fire department” means any organization that:(A) Is established for the prevention or extinguishment of fires, including without limitation:(i) A fire department organized under a municipal or county ordinance;(ii) An improvement district;…

(a) Any medical provider, law enforcement agency, or fire department shall take possession of a child who is thirty (30) days old or younger without a court order if the parent of the child, without expressing an intent to return for the child, leaves the child:(1) With or volunt…

(a) Upon delivery of the child to a medical provider, law enforcement agency, or fire department, the law enforcement officer, an appropriate employee of the fire department, or an appropriate employee of the hospital shall take the child into protective custody for seventy-two (…

The Division of Children and Family Services shall utilize the Missing Persons Information Clearinghouse and any other national and state resources to determine whether the child is a missing child.

This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Arkansas Juvenile Code”.

(1) As used in this chapter:(1) “Abandoned infant” means a juvenile less than nine (9) months of age whose parent, guardian, or custodian left the child alone or in the possession of another person without identifying information or with an expression of intent by words, actions,…

(1) Unless this chapter provides otherwise, nothing in this chapter shall be construed to be:(1) In conflict with, repeal, or prevent proceedings under any act or statute of this state that may otherwise define any specific act of any person as a crime or misdemeanor, which act m…

Any juvenile within this state may be subjected to the care, custody, control, and jurisdiction of the circuit court.

The circuit court shall submit monthly to the Director of the Administrative Office of the Courts a report in writing upon forms to be furnished by the director showing the number and disposition of juveniles brought before the juvenile division of circuit court together with suc…

(a) If it appears at the adjudication or disposition hearing in any case brought under this chapter that the parents or any other person named in the petition who is by law required to provide support for the juvenile is able to contribute to the support of the juvenile, the cour…

No information by which the name or identity of a juvenile who is the subject of proceedings under this chapter may be ascertained shall be published by the news media without written order of the circuit court.

Nothing in this chapter shall prohibit two (2) or more counties, cities, or school districts of this state from agreeing by compact to share the costs of court personnel or juvenile facilities to serve both or all of the counties so agreeing.

(a) A petition for emancipation may be filed in a circuit court by any party to a dependency-neglect, dependency, family in need of services, or delinquency case. (b) The petition shall be served along with a notice of hearing to the juvenile's parent, legal guardian, or legal cu…

(1) This subchapter shall be liberally construed to ensure that:(1) The provisions of this subchapter are executed and enforced; and(2) Each party is assured:(A) A fair hearing; and(B) That his or her constitutional and other legal rights are recognized and enforced. (1) The prov…

(a) The circuit court shall have exclusive jurisdiction of and be the sole court for the following proceedings governed by this subchapter, including without limitation:(1) Proceedings in which a family is alleged to be in need of services as defined by this subchapter, including…

(a) (1) Except as provided in subdivisions (a)(2)-(4) of this section, a proceeding under this subchapter shall be commenced in the circuit court of the county in which the juvenile resides.(2) A proceeding under the Uniform Child-Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act, § 9-19-…

(a) (1) Except as provided in subdivision (a)(2) of this section, all records may be closed and confidential within the discretion of the circuit court.(2) Adoption records, including any part of a dependency-neglect record that includes adoption records, shall be closed and conf…

(a) A proceeding shall be commenced by filing a petition with the circuit clerk of the circuit court or by transfer by another court. (b) A petition for:(1) A family in need of services may be filed by:(A) Any adult; or(B) Any member ten (10) years of age or older of the immediat…

(a) A petition brought under this subchapter shall set forth the following:(1) (A) The name, address, gender, Social Security number, and date of birth of each juvenile subject of the petition.(B) A single petition shall be filed that includes all siblings who are subjects of the…