It is with great joy and enthusiasm that I am announcing these two updated resources for those of you who work in the area of child welfare.
- Abuse, Neglect, Dependency, and Termination of Parental Rights Proceedings in North Carolina (Feb. 2022), otherwise known as “the A/N/D Manual” or “the Manual.”
This February 2022 edition of the Manual is now available on the SOG website, here. This edition replaces the 2019 edition. As those of you who work in this area know, the law is constantly changing either because of legislative changes or appellate opinions interpreting the law. The pace of the changes applying to this legal area is reflected by the fact that this edition was supposed to be a 2021 edition but because of North Carolina Supreme Court opinions published on February 11, 2022, it became the February 2022 edition. This February 2022 edition is current through February 15, 2022 for both appellate opinions issued by the North Carolina appellate courts (most of which are published) as well as legislative changes made through that date. The changes are so significant that you should not rely on any earlier editions of the Manual.
I affectionately refer to the Manual as the beast, as it provides a comprehensive discussion of abuse, neglect, dependency, and termination of parental rights cases. This edition lives up to its nickname. This updated and revised edition has:
- an additional 120 pages of content (give or take a page),
- 198 new appellate opinions,
- a significantly rewritten Chapter 7 that discusses the substantial legislative changes made to the various dispositional hearings in A/N/D proceedings,
- a significantly rewritten Chapter 9 that includes the substantial body of case law addressing TPR proceedings that resulted from the 2.5 year period where all TPR appeals were heard by the North Carolina Supreme Court,
- updated checklists,
- a detailed table of contents, and
- a new cover.
The primary intended audience consists of judicial officials, social services attorneys, parents’ attorneys, and guardian ad litem attorney advocates who work in this area of the law.
The online version of the A/N/D Manual is available at no charge on the SOG website, here. You can download the entire Manual or individual chapters. For those of you where prefer a soft-bound printed version, one is available to purchase for $45. If you’d like to be notified when the Manual is available for purchase, click here.
The School’s partner for this Manual is the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC). Production of this Manual was made possible with funding provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services—Administration for Children and Families, and the Court Improvement Program of the AOC. Thank you Kiesha Crawford!
This Manual takes a team to produce and I’d like to thank my School colleagues: Jan Simmons, Caitlin Little, John Rubin, Timothy Heinle, Mark Botts, Kevin Justice, Melissa Twomey, and Stefanie Panke. As Jan says, “Team work makes the dream work.”
- Stages of Abuse, Neglect, and Dependency Cases in North Carolina: From Report to Final Disposition (2021), otherwise referred to as “Candyland.”
This 2021 edition updates the 2019 edition. It is a 15-page primer with accompanying color-coded flow chart. The flow chart has changed because of the legislative changes to review and permanency planning hearings. The 2021 edition has a new blue cover that corresponds with the February 2022 A/N/D Manual cover so you can distinguish this updated edition from earlier editions. This 2021 edition incorporates changes to the Juvenile Code made by the North Carolina General Assembly through December 31, 2021. To be notified for when it is available for purchase, click here. It’s the cliff notes version of the Manual.
Feedback:
Questions, comments, and suggestions on the Manual, the primer, or new publication topics are welcome. Contact Sara DePasquale at sara@sog.unc.edu.