(a) The Department of Health and Social Services may take emergency custody of a child upon discovering any of the following circumstances:
(1) the child has been abandoned as abandonment is described in AS 47.10.013;
(2) the child has been neglected by the child's parents or guardian, as “neglect” is described in AS 47.10.014, and the department determines that immediate removal from the child's surroundings is necessary to protect the child's life or provide immediate necessary medical attention;
(3) the child has been subjected to physical harm by a person responsible for the child's welfare, and the department determines that immediate removal from the child's surroundings is necessary to protect the child's life or that immediate medical attention is necessary; or
(4) the child or a sibling has been sexually abused under circumstances listed in AS 47.10.011(7).
(b) The department shall offer available counseling services to the person having legal custody of a minor described in AS 47.10.141 and to the members of the minor's household if it determines that counseling services would be appropriate in the situation. If, after assessing the situation, offering available counseling services to the legal custodian and the minor's household, and furnishing appropriate social services to the minor, the department considers it necessary, the department may take emergency custody of the minor.
(c) When a child is taken into custody under (a) or (b) of this section or when the department is notified of a child's presence in either a program for runaway children under AS 47.10.300 - 47.10.390 or a shelter for runaway children under AS 47.10.392 - 47.10.399, the department shall immediately, and in no event more than 24 hours later unless prevented by lack of communication facilities, notify the parents or the person or persons having custody of the child. If the department determines that continued custody is necessary to protect the child, the department shall notify the court of the emergency custody by filing, within 24 hours after custody was assumed, a petition alleging that the child is a child in need of aid. If the department releases the child within 24 hours after taking the child into custody and does not file a child in need of aid petition, the department shall, within 24 hours after releasing the child, file with the court a report explaining why the child was taken into custody, why the child was released, and to whom the child was released.
(d) The court shall immediately, and in no event more than 48 hours after being notified unless prevented by lack of transportation, hold a temporary custody hearing at which the child, if the child's health permits, and the child's parents or guardian, if they can be found, shall be permitted to be present. If present at the hearing, a parent or guardian of the child may request a continuance of the hearing for the purpose of preparing a response to the allegation that the child is a child in need of aid. The court may grant the request on a showing of good cause for why the parent or guardian is not prepared to respond to the allegation. During a continuance, the child remains in the temporary legal custody of the department, except as otherwise provided in this subsection. At the first hearing under this subsection, regardless of whether a continuance is granted, the court shall make a preliminary determination of whether continued placement in the home of the child's parent or guardian would be contrary to the welfare of the child. If a court determines that continued placement in the home of the child's parent or guardian would not be contrary to the welfare of the child, the court shall return the authority to place the child to the child's parent or guardian pending a temporary custody hearing under (e) of this section.
(e) When the temporary custody hearing is held, the court shall determine whether probable cause exists for believing the child to be a child in need of aid, as defined in AS 47.10.990. If the court finds that probable cause exists, it shall order the child committed to the department for temporary placement, or order the child returned to the custody of the child's parents or guardian, subject to the department's supervision of the child's care and treatment. The court shall inform the child, and the child's parents or guardian if they can be found, of the reasons for finding probable cause, authorizing the child's temporary placement, and, if applicable, finding that continued placement in the home of the child's parents or guardian would be contrary to the welfare of the child. If the court finds no probable cause, it shall order the child returned to the custody of the child's parents or guardian.
(f) When a minor is committed to the department for temporary placement under (e) of this section, the court order shall specify the terms, conditions, and duration of placement. If the court orders the minor returned to the custody of the minor's parents or guardian under (e) of this section after a hearing held on a petition filed under AS 47.10.141(f), the court shall specify the terms and conditions that must be followed by the minor and the minor's parents or guardian. The court shall require the minor to remain in the placement provided by the department and shall clearly state in the order the consequences of violating the order, including detention under AS 47.10.141(c).
(g) [Repealed, § 74 ch 35 SLA 2003.]
(h) Within 12 months after a child is committed to the department under this section, the court shall review the placement plan and actual placement of the child under AS 47.10.080(l).
(i) When the department takes emergency custody of a child under this section or a court orders a child committed to the department for temporary placement under this section, the department shall, to the extent feasible and consistent with the best interests of the child, place the child according to the criteria specified under AS 47.14.100(e). A supervisor at the department shall certify in writing in the case file whether the department has searched for an appropriate placement with an adult family member or family friend. If the department has not complied with the search requirements under this subsection, the supervisor shall work to ensure that the department completes the search in the shortest time feasible if it is consistent with the best interests of the child.