Florida Statutes 984.10 – Intake
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Terms Used In Florida Statutes 984.10
- Abandoned: means a situation in which the parent or legal custodian of a child or, in the absence of a parent or legal custodian, the person responsible for the child's welfare, while being able, makes no provision for the child's support and makes no effort to communicate with the child, which situation is sufficient to evince a willful rejection of parental obligations. See Florida Statutes 984.03
- Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
- Department: means the Department of Juvenile Justice. See Florida Statutes 984.03
- Family: means a collective body of persons, consisting of a child and a parent, guardian, adult custodian, or adult relative, in which:(a) The persons reside in the same house or living unit; or(b) The parent, guardian, adult custodian, or adult relative has a legal responsibility by blood, marriage, or court order to support or care for the child. See Florida Statutes 984.03
- Family in need of services: means a family that has a child who is running away; who is persistently disobeying reasonable and lawful demands of the parent or legal custodian and is beyond the control of the parent or legal custodian; or who is habitually truant from school or engaging in other serious behaviors that place the child at risk of future abuse, neglect, or abandonment or at risk of entering the juvenile justice system. See Florida Statutes 984.03
- Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
- Intake: means the initial acceptance and screening by the Department of Juvenile Justice of a complaint or a law enforcement report or probable cause affidavit of delinquency, family in need of services, or child in need of services to determine the recommendation to be taken in the best interests of the child, the family, and the community. See Florida Statutes 984.03
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Parent: means a woman who gives birth to a child and a man whose consent to the adoption of the child would be required under…. See Florida Statutes 984.03
- person: includes individuals, children, firms, associations, joint adventures, partnerships, estates, trusts, business trusts, syndicates, fiduciaries, corporations, and all other groups or combinations. See Florida Statutes 1.01
- writing: includes handwriting, printing, typewriting, and all other methods and means of forming letters and characters upon paper, stone, wood, or other materials. See Florida Statutes 1.01
(1) Intake shall be performed by the department. A report or complaint alleging that a child is from a family in need of services shall be made to the intake office operating in the county in which the child is found or in which the case arose. Any person or agency, including, but not limited to, the parent or legal custodian, the local school district, a law enforcement agency, or the Department of Children and Families, having knowledge of the facts may make a report or complaint.(2) A representative of the department shall make a preliminary determination as to whether the report or complaint is complete. The criteria for the completeness of a report or complaint with respect to a child alleged to be from a family in need of services while subject to compulsory school attendance shall be governed by s. 984.03(27). In any case in which the representative of the department finds that the report or complaint is incomplete, the representative of the department shall return the report or complaint without delay to the person or agency originating the report or complaint or having knowledge of the facts or to the appropriate law enforcement agency having investigative jurisdiction and request additional information in order to complete the report or complaint.(3) If the representative of the department determines that in his or her judgment the interests of the family, the child, and the public will be best served by providing the family and child services and treatment voluntarily accepted by the child and the parents or legal custodians, the departmental representative may refer the family or child to an appropriate service and treatment provider. As part of the intake procedure, the departmental representative shall inform the parent or legal custodian, in writing, of the services and treatment available to the child and family by department providers or community agencies and the rights and responsibilities of the parent or legal guardian under this chapter.(4) If the department has reasonable grounds to believe that the child has been abandoned, abused, or neglected, it shall proceed pursuant to the provisions of chapter 39.