(1) Except as otherwise provided in the Nebraska Indian Child Welfare Act, notice of the court review or hearing and the right of participation in all court reviews and hearings pertaining to a child in a foster care placement shall be provided by the court having jurisdiction over such child for the purposes of foster care placement. The Department of Health and Human Services or contract agency shall have the contact information for all child placements available for all courts to comply with the notification requirements found in this section. The department or contract agency shall each have one telephone number by which any court seeking to provide notice may obtain up-to-date contact information of all persons listed in subdivisions (2)(a) through (h) of this section. All contact information shall be up-to-date within seventy-two hours of any placement change.

Terms Used In Nebraska Statutes 43-1314

  • Action: shall include any proceeding in any court of this state. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Person: shall include bodies politic and corporate, societies, communities, the public generally, individuals, partnerships, limited liability companies, joint-stock companies, and associations. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801

(2) Notice shall be provided to all of the following parties that are applicable to the case: (a) The person charged with the care of such child; (b) the child’s parents or guardian unless the parental rights of the parents have been terminated by court action as provided in section 43-292 or 43-297 ; (c) the foster child if age fourteen or over; (d) the foster parent or parents of the foster child; (e) the guardian ad litem of the foster child; (f) the office and designated local board; (g) the preadoptive parent; and (h) the relative providing care for the child. Notice of all court reviews and hearings shall be mailed or personally delivered to the counsel or party, if the party is not represented by counsel, five full days prior to the review or hearing. The use of ordinary mail shall constitute sufficient compliance. Notice to the foster parent, preadoptive parent, or relative providing care shall not be construed to require that such foster parent, preadoptive parent, or relative is a necessary party to the review or hearing.

(3) The court shall inquire into the well-being of the foster child by asking questions, if present at the hearing, of any willing foster parent, preadoptive parent, or relative providing care for the child.