Title 15

(a) The following expenses shall be a charge upon the funds of the county upon certification thereof by the court: (1) The cost of medical and other examinations and treatment of a child ordered by the court; (2) The cost of care and support of a child committed by the court to th…

(a) The court may collect supervision fees from those who are placed under the court’s formal or informal supervision in order that the court may use those fees to expand the provision of the following types of ancillary services: (1) Housing in nonsecure residential facilities; …

(a) Any court may order the establishment of a community based risk reduction program, within the geographical jurisdiction of the court, for the purpose of utilizing available community resources in assessment and intervention in cases of delinquency, dependency, or children in …

(a) In any jurisdiction within which a risk reduction program has been established, when a child comes before the court for disposition, the court may order that a risk assessment or risk and needs assessment, as defined in Code Section 49-4A-1, be made of such child and the circu…

Where procedures are not provided in this chapter, the court shall proceed in accordance with: (1) Title 17 in a delinquency proceeding; and (2) Chapter 11 of Title 9 in all other matters. History. — Code 1981, § 15-11-4, enacted by Ga. L. 2013, p. 294, § 1-1/HB 242.

(a) Notwithstanding any provision contained in this chapter or in any rule or regulation adopted by any department, board, or agency of the state to the contrary, the court and any individual, public or private agency, or other entity participating in a community based risk reduc…

(a) Except as otherwise provided in Code Section 15-11-710, entities governed by federal or state privacy laws may require the following before sharing confidential information: (1) For release of child abuse records by the department, a subpoena and subsequent order of the court …

(a) When a period of time measured in days, weeks, months, years, or other measurements of time is prescribed for the exercise of any privilege or the discharge of any duty, the first day shall not be counted but the last day shall be counted; and, if the last day falls on a weeke…

(a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this Code section, a child attains a specified age the first second past midnight on the day of the anniversary of such child’s birth. (b) A child born on February 29 attains a specified age on March 1 of any year that is not a leap year. …

(a) The juvenile court shall have jurisdiction to act as a court of inquiry with all the powers and rights allowed courts of inquiry in this state and to examine or investigate into the circumstances or causes of any conduct or acts of any person 17 or more years of age that may …

The juvenile court is a court of record having a seal. The judge and the judge’s duly appointed representatives shall each have power to administer oaths and affirmations. History. — Code 1981, § 15-11-8, enacted by Ga. L. 2013, p. 294, § 1-1/HB 242.

The juvenile court judge, associate juvenile court judge, and judge pro tempore shall have authority to issue a warrant for the arrest of any child for an offense committed against the laws of this state, based either on personal knowledge or the information of others given under…

(a) There is created a juvenile court in every county in the state. (b) Except where election is provided by local law, the judge or a majority of the judges of the superior court in each circuit in the state may appoint one or more qualified persons as judge of the juvenile court…

(a) No person shall be judge of the juvenile court unless, at the time of his or her appointment, he or she has attained the age of 30 years, has been a citizen of this state for three years, is a member of the State Bar of Georgia, and has practiced law for five years. (b) A juve…

(a) Each appointed juvenile court judge shall serve for a term of four years. (b) The compensation of the full-time or part-time juvenile court judges shall be set by the superior court with the approval of the governing authority or governing authorities of the county or countie…

(a) It shall be unlawful for any full-time juvenile court judge to engage in any practice of law outside his or her role as a juvenile court judge. (b) It shall be unlawful for a part-time judge of any juvenile court to engage directly or indirectly in the practice of law in his …

(a) Each juvenile court shall be assigned and attached to the superior court of the county for administrative purposes. (b) The governing authority of the county of residence of each juvenile court judge shall offer the juvenile court judge insurance benefits and any other benefits…

(a) To the extent that the provisions of this article conflict with a local constitutional amendment authorizing the election of a juvenile court judge and with the provisions of a local Act authorized by such local constitutional amendment to provide for the term of office, vacan…

(a) No person who is serving as a full-time juvenile court judge shall at the same time hold the office of judge of any other class of court of this state. (b) No person serving as a juvenile court judge after being elected juvenile court judge pursuant to a local law authorized …

(a) Whenever a juvenile court judge is appointed it shall be the duty of the clerk of the superior court to forward to the Secretary of State and to the Council of Juvenile Court Judges a certified copy of the order of appointment. The order of appointment shall set out the name o…

(a) All of the judges and associate judges of the courts exercising jurisdiction over children shall constitute a Council of Juvenile Court Judges. The council shall annually elect from among its members a judge to serve as presiding judge and chairperson of the council. (b) The …

(a) The Council of Juvenile Court Judges, in conjunction with the Institute of Continuing Judicial Education of Georgia, shall establish seminars for all judges and associate juvenile court judges exercising juvenile court jurisdiction and may make provisions relative to such sem…

(a) A judge may appoint one or more persons to serve as associate juvenile court judges in juvenile matters on a full-time or part-time basis. The associate juvenile court judge shall serve at the pleasure of the judge, and his or her salary shall be fixed by the judge with the ap…

(a) The judge may appoint one or more persons to serve at the pleasure of the judge as associate juvenile court traffic judges on a full-time or part-time basis. (b) An associate juvenile court traffic judge shall be a member of the State Bar of Georgia. (c) The compensation of a…

(a) In the event of the disqualification, illness, or absence of the judge of the juvenile court, the judge of the juvenile court may appoint any member of the State Bar of Georgia who is resident in the judicial circuit in which the court lies and has practiced law for five years,…

(a) The judge of the juvenile court shall have the authority to appoint clerks and any other personnel necessary for the execution of the purposes of this chapter. (b) The salary, tenure, compensation, and all other conditions of employment of such employees shall be fixed by the …

(a) Each clerk of the juvenile court shall collect the following information for each child in need of services, delinquent child, and child accused of a class A designated felony act or class B designated felony act and provide such information to DJJ as frequently as requested …

(a) Any person who is appointed as or is performing the duties of a clerk of the juvenile court shall satisfactorily complete 20 hours of training in the performance of the duties of a clerk of the juvenile court within the first 12 months following such appointment or the first pe…

(a) The judge may appoint one or more probation and intake officers. (b) The salaries of the probation and intake officers shall be fixed by the judge with the approval of the governing authority of the county or counties for which he or she is appointed and shall be payable from …

(a) A county juvenile probation officer or DJJ staff member serving as a juvenile probation officer or community supervision officer, as appropriate: (1) Shall make investigations, reports, and recommendations to the court as directed by this chapter; (2) Shall supervise and assi…

(a) A juvenile court intake officer: (1) Shall receive and examine complaints and charges of delinquency, of dependency, or that a child is a child in need of services for the purpose of considering the commencement of proceedings under this chapter; (2) Shall make appropriate re…

(a) The probation and intake services of the juvenile court of each county may be transferred to and become a part of the state-wide juvenile and intake services and be fully funded through DJJ. The probation and intake officers of juvenile courts of those counties whose probatio…

(a)(1) As used in this subsection, the term ‘‘risk and needs assessment’’ means an actuarial tool, approved by the Council of Accountability Court Judges of Georgia and validated on a targeted population, scientifically proven to determine an individual’s risk to recidivate and to…

The purpose of this article is: (1) To assist and protect children whose physical or mental health and welfare is substantially at risk of harm from abuse, neglect, or exploitation and who may be further threatened by the conduct of others by providing for the resolution of depen…

A proceeding under this article shall not be subject to this article to the extent that it is governed by the Indian Child Welfare Act, P.L. 95-608, as amended, Chapter 21 of Title 25 of the United States Code. In those circumstances, compliance with such federal law shall be req…

(a) If necessary, the investigator of a report of child abuse and neglect may apply to the court for certain medical examinations and evaluations of a child or other children in the household. (b) Upon a showing of probable cause in an affidavit executed by the applicant, the cou…

(a) A preliminary protective hearing shall be held promptly and no later than 72 hours after a child is placed in foster care, provided that, if the 72 hour time frame expires on a weekend or legal holiday, such hearing shall be held on the next day which is not a weekend or lega…

(a) A child and any other party to a proceeding under this article shall have the right to an attorney at all stages of the proceedings under this article. (b) The court shall appoint an attorney for an alleged dependent child. The appointment shall be made as soon as practicable…

(a) The court shall appoint a guardian ad litem for an alleged dependent child. (b) An attorney for an alleged dependent child may serve as such child’s guardian ad litem unless or until there is conflict of interest between the attorney’s duty to such child as such child’s attorn…

(a) A guardian ad litem shall advocate for a child’s best interests in the proceeding for which the guardian ad litem has been appointed. (b) In determining a child’s best interests, a guardian ad litem shall consider and evaluate all of the factors affecting the best interests o…

(a)(1) Before executing duties as a CASA, and upon completion of all the requirements of an affiliate court appointed special advocate program, a CASA shall be sworn in by a judge of the juvenile court in the court or circuit in which he or she wishes to serve. A CASA shall not b…

(a) A parent, guardian, or legal custodian’s reliance on prayer or other religious nonmedical means for healing in lieu of medical care, in the exercise of religious beliefs, shall not be the sole basis for considering his or her child to be a dependent child; provided, however, …

(a) The court shall give to all parties written notice of the date, time, place, and purpose of the following postadjudication hearings or reviews: (1) Nonreunification hearings; (2) Disposition hearings; (3) Periodic review hearings; (4) Periodic reviews by judicial citizen revie…

(a) In advance of each hearing or review, DFCS shall give written notice of the date, time, place, and purpose of the review or hearing, including the right to be heard, to the caregiver of a child, the foster parent of a child, any preadoptive parent, or any relative providing c…

(a) Upon request of an attorney for a party, the court may continue any hearing under this article beyond the time limit within which the hearing is otherwise required to be held; provided, however, that no continuance shall be granted that is contrary to the interests of the chi…

(a) At any hearing held with respect to a child, the court in its discretion, and based upon the evidence, may enter an order: (1) Accepting or rejecting any DFCS report; (2) Ordering an additional evaluation; or (3) Undertaking such other review as it deems necessary and appropr…