About the Juvenile Department
The Juvenile Department focuses on the welfare of children and families by ensuring families have support and resources to meet their fullest potential. The department supports dependency, child welfare, delinquency, guardianships, adoptions, and emancipations.
Adoptions
Adoption provides children who are in need of a stable, loving home with the opportunity to grow up in a nurturing environment.
Guardianships
The court can appoint child guardians while a parent is not able to. These can be done through a dependency case or through a Title 14 consent-based.
Dependency
A dependent youth is one who lacks parental care and/or self-control or lives in a home with abuse, neglect, or other challenges. This type of hearings are to help families come together for the best interest of the child.
Emancipations
For minors who are eligible, the court provides emancipation services to allow them full legal rights and responsibilities of adulthood.
Delinquency
Providing assistance, correction, and education to minors seeking success as a law-abiding citizen.
Severance
Severance refers to the termination of the parent-child relationship between a parent/legal guardian and a child. Severance/termination of parental rights is required for a child to be adopted by a new parent.
Injunctions Against Harassment (JP)
If the defendant is under 12 years of age, the injunction against harassment or order of protection must be filed in the Juvenile Department.
