The Florida Senate

984.14  Shelter placement; hearing.--

(1)  Unless ordered by the court pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, or upon voluntary consent to placement by the child and the child's parent, legal guardian, or custodian, a child taken into custody shall not be placed in a shelter prior to a court hearing unless a determination has been made that the provision of appropriate and available services will not eliminate the need for placement and that such placement is required:

(a)  To provide an opportunity for the child and family to agree upon conditions for the child's return home, when immediate placement in the home would result in a substantial likelihood that the child and family would not reach an agreement; or

(b)  Because a parent, custodian, or guardian is unavailable to take immediate custody of the child.

(2)  If the department determines that placement in a shelter is necessary according to the provisions of subsection (1), the departmental representative shall authorize placement of the child in a shelter provided by the community specifically for runaways and troubled youth who are children in need of services or members of families in need of services and shall immediately notify the parents or legal custodians that the child was taken into custody.

(3)  A child who is involuntarily placed in a shelter shall be given a shelter hearing within 24 hours after being taken into custody to determine whether shelter placement is required. The shelter petition filed with the court shall address each condition required to be determined in subsection (1).

(4)  A child may not be held involuntarily in a shelter longer than 24 hours unless an order so directing is made by the court after a shelter hearing finding that placement in a shelter is necessary based on the criteria in subsection (1) and that the department has made reasonable efforts to prevent or eliminate the need for removal of the child from the home.

(5)  Except as provided under s. 984.225, a child in need of services or a child from a family in need of services may not be placed in a shelter for longer than 35 days.

(6)  When any child is placed in a shelter pursuant to court order following a shelter hearing, the court shall order the natural or adoptive parents of such child, the natural father of such child born out of wedlock who has acknowledged his paternity in writing before the court, or the guardian of such child's estate, if possessed of assets which under law may be disbursed for the care, support, and maintenance of the child, to pay, to the department, fees as established by the department. When the order affects the guardianship estate, a certified copy of the order shall be delivered to the judge having jurisdiction of the guardianship estate.

(7)  A child who is adjudicated a child in need of services or alleged to be from a family in need of services or a child in need of services may not be placed in a secure detention facility or jail or any other commitment program for delinquent children under any circumstances.

(8)  The court may order the placement of a child in need of services into a staff-secure facility for no longer than 5 days for the purpose of evaluation and assessment.

History.--s. 8, ch. 87-133; s. 3, ch. 90-53; s. 6, ch. 90-208; s. 233, ch. 95-147; s. 7, ch. 95-280; s. 21, ch. 96-398; s. 100, ch. 97-238; s. 4, ch. 97-281.

Note.--Former s. 39.422.