Abuse, Neglect, Dependency, and Termination of Parental Rights
How to Use This Manual
This manual describes and explains the laws, procedures, concepts, and people related to abuse, neglect, dependency, and termination of parental rights proceedings in North Carolina. It is designed to be useful as both a reference manual and a training tool, with an intended primary audience of district court judges, social services attorneys, parents’ attorneys, and guardian ad litem attorney advocates.
The text of the chapters combines applicable statutes, relevant case citations, additional resources, and practical explanations for particular topics. “Practice Notes” are set apart to offer insight into practical aspects of a given topic. “Resources” and “Tools” are set apart to alert the reader to resources and tools beyond the manual. The manual uses cross-references liberally to alert the reader to other parts of the manual that are relevant to a particular topic.
The table of contents at the beginning of the manual identifies the location of general topics, while each chapter contains a more detailed table of contents. In the online version of the manual, the links to the chapters on the left side of the web page are “live,” providing readers with an easy way to move to specific chapters. In addition, readers may search for specific words after opening an individual chapter or the entire manual. Web links are present throughout the manual, typically embedded in the relevant text. Where a specific web address is not visible for hard copy readers or if a link does not work, the reader usually can find the resource by running an internet search using the title of the resource.
Appendix materials supplement topics covered in the manual. Also included are Hearing Checklists that highlight the basic requirements for each type of hearing.
Because of the broad intended audience for the manual, advocacy materials and perspectives are not included; however, individuals and organizations with a particular advocacy perspective may choose to supplement the manual with materials helpful to their work.