1. Upon the filing of a petition the parent, guardian, putative father, or custodian identified in the petition shall have the right to counsel in connection with all subsequent hearings and proceedings. If that person desires but is financially unable to employ counsel, the court shall appoint counsel. A putative father is not a necessary party to a proceeding until the putative father’s paternity is established.
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Terms Used In Iowa Code 232.89

  • Child: means any person under the age of eighteen years. See Iowa Code 232.68
  • Court: means the juvenile court established under section 602. See Iowa Code 232.2
  • Custodian: means a stepparent or a relative within the fourth degree of consanguinity to a child who has assumed responsibility for that child, a person who has accepted a release of custody pursuant to subchapter IV, or a person appointed by a court or juvenile court having jurisdiction over a child. See Iowa Code 232.2
  • Department: means the state department of human services and includes the local, county, and service area offices of the department. See Iowa Code 232.68
  • Guardian: means a person who is not the parent of a child, but who has been appointed by a court having jurisdiction over the child, to have a permanent self-sustaining relationship with the child and to make important decisions which have a permanent effect on the life and development of that child and to promote the general welfare of that child. See Iowa Code 232.2
  • 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.
  • Guardian ad litem: means a person appointed by the court to represent the interests of a child in any judicial proceeding to which the child is a party. See Iowa Code 232.2
  • 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.
  • Juvenile: means the same as "child". See Iowa Code 232.2
  • Parent: means a biological or adoptive mother or father of a child; or a father whose paternity has been established by operation of law due to the individual's marriage to the mother at the time of conception, birth, or at any time during the period between conception and birth of the child, by order of a court of competent jurisdiction, or by administrative order when authorized by state law. See Iowa Code 232.2
  • Party: means a petitioner, a respondent, or a person who intervenes in a proceeding instituted under this chapter. See Iowa Code 252A.2
  • person: means individual, corporation, limited liability company, government or governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership or association, or any other legal entity. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Petition: means a pleading the filing of which initiates formal judicial proceedings in the juvenile court. See Iowa Code 232.2
  • Putative father: means a person who has been identified by the mother of a child as the child's potential biological father or a person who claims to be the biological father of a child and who was not married to the child's mother at the time of the child's birth, when all of the following circumstances apply:
     a. See Iowa Code 232.2
 2. Upon the filing of a petition, the court shall appoint counsel and a guardian ad litem for the child identified in the petition as a party to the proceedings. If a guardian ad litem has previously been appointed for the child in a proceeding under subchapter II or a proceeding in which the court has waived jurisdiction under section 232.45, the court shall appoint the same guardian ad litem upon the filing of the petition under this part. Counsel shall be appointed as follows:

 a. If the child is represented by counsel and the court determines there is a conflict of interest between the child and the child’s parent, guardian, putative father, or custodian and that the retained counsel could not properly represent the child as a result of the conflict, the court shall appoint other counsel to represent the child, who shall be compensated pursuant to the provisions of subsection 3.
 b. If the child is not represented by counsel, the court shall either order the parent, guardian, or custodian to retain counsel for the child or shall appoint counsel for the child, who shall be compensated pursuant to the provisions of subsection 3.
 3. The court shall determine, after giving the parent, guardian, or custodian an opportunity to be heard, whether the person has the ability to pay in whole or in part for counsel appointed for the child. If the court determines that the person possesses sufficient financial ability, the court shall then consult with the department of human services, the juvenile probation office, or other authorized agency or individual regarding the likelihood of impairment of the relationship between the child and the child’s parent, guardian, or custodian as a result of ordering the parent, guardian, or custodian to pay for the child’s counsel. If impairment is deemed unlikely, the court shall order that person to pay an amount the court finds appropriate in the manner and to whom the court directs. If the person fails to comply with the order without good reason, the court shall enter judgment against the person. If impairment is deemed likely or if the court determines that the parent, guardian, or custodian cannot pay any part of the expenses of counsel appointed to represent the child, counsel shall be reimbursed pursuant to section 232.141, subsection 2, paragraph “b”.
 4. The same person may serve both as the child’s counsel and as guardian ad litem. However, the court may appoint a separate guardian ad litem, if the same person cannot properly represent the legal interests of the child as legal counsel and also represent the best interests of the child as guardian ad litem in accordance with section 232.2, subsection 25, paragraph “e”, or a separate guardian ad litem is required to fulfill the requirements of subsection 2. If a child’s guardian ad litem is also acting as an attorney for the child, each report submitted to a court by the guardian ad litem shall contain a statement indicating whether a separate guardian ad litem is required based on the guardian ad litem’s interviews and investigations conducted until the time a report is submitted to the court.
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