A. No child shall remain in voluntary placement for longer than one hundred eighty consecutive days or for more than one hundred eighty days in any calendar year; provided that a child may remain in voluntary placement up to an additional one hundred eighty consecutive days upon order of the court after the filing of a petition by the department for extension of voluntary placement, a hearing and a finding that additional voluntary placement is in the best interests of the child.
B. In no event shall a child remain in voluntary placement for a period in excess of three hundred sixty-five days in any two-year period.
C. Any placement described in this section shall not be considered abandonment by a parent, guardian or custodian or other family member.
History: 1978 Comp., § 32A-3A-7, enacted by Laws 1993, ch. 77, § 69; 2005, ch. 82, § 1.
ANNOTATIONSThe 2005 amendment, effective April 4, 2005, extended the time for temporary placements of children.