About

As the largest
university-based local
government training,
advisory, and research
organization in the United
States, the School of
Government serves more
than 12,000 public officials
each year.

Browse by Role

The School provides
content and resources for a
wide array of local
government and judicial
officials in North Carolina.

Select your role to explore
all related content.

Browse by Topic

The School provides content
and resources on a wide array
of topics in local government
and judicial administration in
North Carolina.

Select a topic to explore all
related content.

Courses

The School of Government
offers up to 200 courses,
workshops, webinars, and
professional conferences
each year.

Publications

The School of Government
publishes essential books,
manuals, reports, articles,
bulletins, and other print and
online content related to state
and local government.

Blogs

Faculty write for a number
of School of Government
blogs providing timely
updates on emerging issues.

Resources

The School of Government
offers information and
services related to a wide
range of topics relevant to
government and judicial
officials—in-person and on a
variety of platforms.

Blog Posts

Timely updates on emerging issues

Centers and Services

Specialized training/research hubs and consulting services

Frequently Asked Questions

Aggregated answers to common questions on a variety of topics

Knapp Library

Print and online materials and research expertise

Legal Summaries

Brief descriptions of legal cases, bills, or legislative activity

Listservs

Information exchanges for peers and faculty experts

Microsites

In-depth or aggregated content for local government and judicial officials

Tools and Apps

Online and mobile tools for employees on-the-go

Master of Public
Administration Program

The UNC MPA program prepares public service leaders. The program is offered in two formats: on-campus and online.

For more information, visit mpa.unc.edu

Giving

The School of Government depends on private and public support for fulfilling its mission. Your gift will make a lasting impact on the quality of government and civic participation in North Carolina.

Knapp Library

The Joseph Palmer Knapp Library houses a large collection of material on state and local government, public administration, and management to support the School's instructional and research programs and the educational mission of the Master of Public Administration program. Reference and research services are available to all residents of North Carolina, and additional assistance is available to state and local government personnel, both elected and appointed.

The 2023 edition of this Manual, by Sara DePasquale, provides easily accessible information about the law, procedures, and concepts that apply to abuse, neglect, dependency, and related termination of parental rights proceedings in North Carolina. This Manual is meant to be a useful and reliable reference manual and training tool, with an intended primary audience of district court judges, social services attorneys, parents’ attorneys, and guardian ad litem attorney advocates who are involved in this important and challenging work.

The text of the chapters combines applicable statutes, relevant case citations, additional resources, and practical explanations for particular topics. This 2023 edition includes opinions published by the North Carolina appellate courts through December 31, 2023, and legislative changes made through that same time period by the North Carolina General Assembly. To supplement the information in this Manual, see the School’s juvenile law microsite, which contains hyperlinks to the Child Welfare Case Compendium, recent legislation, blog posts, publications, and other available resources in this field.

You can view the complete Manual and each chapter individually. The search box on the right side navigation bar allows you to conduct a text search of the entire Manual. Separate search functions (using control F) are also available when viewing individual chapters. Although the online version of this Manual is available at no charge, a soft-cover book is available for purchase from the School’s online bookstore.

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 North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts. This Manual is copyrighted to the UNC School of Government.