Title 63, South Carolina Children's Code

(A) In exercising the powers of licensing, approving, renewing, revoking, or making provisional licenses and approvals, the department shall investigate and inspect licensees and approved operators and applicants for a license or an approval. The authorized representative of the …

(A) As used in this chapter, "family childcare home" means a facility within a residence occupied by the operator in which childcare regularly is provided for no more than six children, unattended by a parent or legal guardian, including those children living in the home and the …

(A) Registration must be completed on forms supplied by the department and in the manner it prescribes. (B) Before becoming a registered operator the applicant shall: (1) sign a statement that he has read the suggested standards developed by the department under Section 63-13-180…

(A) An operator of a family childcare home and any person employed by or who contracts with an operator of a family childcare home to provide direct childcare, annually shall complete and provide documentation to the Department of Social Services of a minimum of ten hours of trai…

(A) A statement of registration must be issued when the family childcare operator satisfactorily completes the procedures prescribed by this chapter. The current statement must be displayed in a prominent place in the facility at all times and the registration number must be stat…

(A) When the department visits a family childcare home for purposes of an inspection or investigation pursuant to Section 63-13-80(A), it shall conduct the review to ensure the facility complies with the following: (1) health and safety of the children; (2) no evidence of child a…

(A) A registrant whose statement of registration has been withdrawn by the department or whose application for a statement or renewal of registration has been denied by the department must be given written notice of the withdrawal or denial by certified or registered mail. The no…

The department shall offer consultation through employed staff or other qualified persons to assist a potential applicant, an applicant or registered operator in meeting and maintaining the suggested standards for family childcare homes.

At the time of initial licensing, approval, or registration a childcare facility must provide proof of conformity or authorized nonconformity with county or municipal zoning ordinances or resolutions. The department may impose conditions on the license, approval, or registration …

The "Tender Years Doctrine" in which there is a preference for awarding a mother custody of a child of tender years is abolished.

In placing the child in the custody of an individual or a private agency or institution, the court shall, whenever practicable, select a person or an agency or institution governed by persons of the same religious faith as that of the parents of such child, or, in case of a diffe…

As used in this article: (1) "Joint custody" means both parents have equal rights and responsibilities for major decisions concerning the child, including the child's education, medical and dental care, extracurricular activities, and religious training; however, a judge may desi…

(A) At all temporary hearings where custody is contested, each parent must prepare, file, and submit to the court a parenting plan, which reflects parental preferences, the allocation of parenting time to be spent with each parent, and major decisions, including, but not limited …

(A) The court shall make the final custody determination in the best interest of the child based upon the evidence presented. (B) The court may award joint custody to both parents or sole custody to either parent. (C) If custody is contested or if either parent seeks an award of …

(A) In issuing or modifying an order for custody affecting the rights and responsibilities of the parents, the order may include, but is not limited to: (1) the approval of a parenting plan; (2) the award of sole custody to one parent with appropriate parenting time for the noncu…

In addition to all rights and duties given to parents pursuant to Section 63-5-30: (A) when a court orders sole custody to one parent, the custodial parent, except in cases of abuse, neglect, or abandonment, should facilitate opportunities for reasonable telephonic and electronic…

Notwithstanding the custody arrangement and in addition to all rights and duties given to parents pursuant to Section 63-5-30, each parent has equal access and the same right to obtain all educational records and medical records of his or her minor children and the right to parti…

In determining the best interests of the child, the court must consider the child's reasonable preference for custody. The court shall place weight upon the preference based upon the child's age, experience, maturity, judgment, and ability to express a preference.

This article may be cited as the "Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act".

As used in this article: (1) "Abandoned" means left without provision for reasonable and necessary care or supervision. (2) "Child" means an individual who has not attained eighteen years of age. (3) "Child custody determination" means a judgment, decree, or other order of a cour…

This article does not govern an adoption proceeding or a proceeding pertaining to the authorization of emergency medical care for a child.

(A) A child custody proceeding that pertains to an Indian child as defined in the Indian Child Welfare Act, 25 USC Section 1901 et seq., is not subject to this article to the extent that it is governed by the Indian Child Welfare Act. (B) A court of this State shall treat a tribe…

(A) A court of this State shall treat a foreign country as if it were a state of the United States for the purpose of applying Subarticles 1 and 2. (B) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (C), a child custody determination made in a foreign country under factual circumstan…

A child custody determination made by a court of this State that had jurisdiction under this article binds all persons who have been served in accordance with the laws of this State or notified in accordance with Section 63-15-314 or who have submitted to the jurisdiction of the …

If a question of existence or exercise of jurisdiction under this article is raised in a child custody proceeding, the question, upon request of a party, must be given priority on the calendar and handled expeditiously.

(A) Notice required for the exercise of jurisdiction when a person is outside this State may be given in a manner prescribed by the law of this State for service of process or by the law of the state in which the service is made. Notice must be given in a manner reasonably calcul…

(A) A party to a child custody proceeding, including a modification proceeding, or a petitioner or respondent in a proceeding to enforce or register a child custody determination, is not subject to personal jurisdiction in this State for another proceeding or purpose solely by re…

(A) A court of this State may communicate with a court in another state concerning a proceeding arising under this article. (B) The court may allow the parties to participate in the communication. If the parties are not able to participate in the communication, they must be given…

(A) In addition to other procedures available to a party, a party to a child custody proceeding may offer testimony of witnesses who are located in another state, including testimony of the parties and the child, by deposition or other means allowable in this State for testimony …

(A) A court of this State may request the appropriate court of another state to: (1) hold an evidentiary hearing; (2) order a person to produce or give evidence pursuant to procedures of that state; (3) order that an evaluation be made with respect to the custody of a child invol…

(A) Except as otherwise provided in Section 63-15-336, a court of this State has jurisdiction to make an initial child custody determination only if: (1) this State is the home state of the child on the date of the commencement of the proceeding, or was the home state of the chil…

(A) Except as otherwise provided in Section 63-15-336, a court of this State which has made a child custody determination consistent with Section 63-15-330 or 63-15-334 has exclusive, continuing jurisdiction over the determination until: (1) a court of this State determines that …

Except as otherwise provided in Section 63-15-336, a court of this State may not modify a child custody determination made by a court of another state unless a court of this State has jurisdiction to make an initial determination under Section 63-15-330(A)(1) or (2) and: (1) the …

(A) A court of this State has temporary emergency jurisdiction if the child is present in this State and the child has been abandoned or it is necessary in an emergency to protect the child because the child, or a sibling or parent of the child, is subjected to or threatened with…

(A) Before a child custody determination is made under this article, notice and an opportunity to be heard in accordance with the standards of Section 63-15-314 must be given to all persons entitled to notice under the law of this State as in child custody proceedings between res…

(A) Except as otherwise provided in Section 63-15-336, a court of this State may not exercise its jurisdiction under this subarticle if, at the time of the commencement of the proceeding, a proceeding concerning the custody of the child has been commenced in a court of another st…

(A) A court of this State, which has jurisdiction under this article to make a child custody determination, may decline to exercise its jurisdiction at any time if it determines that it is an inconvenient forum under the circumstances and that a court of another state is a more a…

(A) Except as otherwise provided in Section 63-15-336 or by other law of this State, if a court of this State has jurisdiction under this article because a person seeking to invoke its jurisdiction has engaged in unjustifiable conduct, the court shall decline to exercise its juri…

(A) Subject to local law providing for the confidentiality of procedures, addresses, and other identifying information, in a child custody proceeding, each party, in its first pleading or in an attached affidavit, shall give information, if reasonably ascertainable, under oath as…

(A) In a child custody proceeding in this State, the court may order a party to the proceeding who is in this State to appear before the court in person with or without the child. The court may order any person who is in this State and who has physical custody or control of the c…

As used in this subarticle: (1) "Petitioner" means a person who seeks enforcement of an order for return of a child under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction or enforcement of a child custody determination. (2) "Respondent" means a person ag…

Under this subarticle a court of this State may enforce an order for the return of the child made under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction as if it were a child custody determination.

(A) A court of this State shall recognize and enforce a child custody determination of a court of another state if the latter court exercised jurisdiction in substantial conformity with this article or the determination was made under factual circumstances meeting the jurisdictio…

(A) A court of this State which does not have jurisdiction to modify a child custody determination, may issue a temporary order enforcing: (1) a visitation schedule made by a court of another state; or (2) the visitation provisions of a child custody determination of another stat…

(A) A child custody determination issued by a court of another state may be registered in this State, with or without a simultaneous request for enforcement, by sending to the appropriate court in this State: (1) a letter or other document requesting registration; (2) two copies,…

(A) A court of this State may grant any relief normally available under the law of this State to enforce a registered child custody determination made by a court of another state. (B) A court of this State shall recognize and enforce, but may not modify, except in accordance with…