Terms used in this chapter and in chapters 26-8A, 26-8B, and 26-8C mean:

(1) “Abused or neglected child,” a child as defined in § 26-8A-2;

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Terms Used In South Dakota Codified Laws 26-7A-1

  • Children: includes children by birth and by adoption. See South Dakota Codified Laws 2-14-2
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • 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: includes natural persons, partnerships, associations, cooperative corporations, limited liability companies, and corporations. See South Dakota Codified Laws 2-14-2

(2) “Adjudicatory hearing,” a hearing to determine whether the allegations of a petition alleging that a child is abused or neglected are supported by clear and convincing evidence or whether the allegations of a petition alleging a child to be in need of supervision or a delinquent are supported by evidence beyond a reasonable doubt;

(3) “Adult,” a person eighteen years of age or over, except any person under twentyone years of age who is under the continuing jurisdiction of the court or who is before the court for an alleged delinquent act committed before the person’s eighteenth birthday;

(4) “Advisory hearing,” the initial hearing conducted by the court to inform the child and the child’s parents, guardian, custodian, or other interested parties of their statutory and constitutional rights;

(5) “Association,” an association, institution, or corporation which includes in its purposes the care or disposition of children coming within the provisions of this chapter or chapter 26-8A, 26-8B, or 26-8C;

(6) “Child,” a person less than eighteen years of age and any person under twentyone years of age who is under the continuing jurisdiction of the court or who is before the court for an alleged delinquent act committed before the person’s eighteenth birthday;

(7) “Child in need of supervision,” a child as defined in § 26-8B-2;

(8) “Commit,” to transfer custody of a person;

(9) “Conservator,” a conservator of a child as defined in § 29A-1-201;

(10) “Court” or “juvenile court,” the circuit court;

(11) “Custodian,” any foster parent, employee of a public or private residential home or facility, other person legally responsible for a child’s welfare in a residential setting, or person providing inhome or outofhome care; for purposes of this definition, outofhome care means any day care as defined in §§ 26-6-14, 26-6-14.1, and 26-6-14.8;

(12) “Delinquent child,” a child as defined in § 26-8C-2;

(13) “Department of Social Services” or “department,” the South Dakota Department of Social Services;

(14) “Deprivation of custody,” transfer of custody of a child by the court from the child’s parents, guardian, or other custodian to another person, agency, department, or institution;

(15) “Detention,” the temporary custody of a child in secured physically restricting facilities for children, sight and sound separated from adult prisoners;

(16) “Detention facility,” a secured, physically restricting facility designed, staffed, and operated for children and separated by sight and sound from adult prisoners or a facility for children in the same building or secure perimeter as an adult jail or lockup, where children are sight and sound separated from adult prisoners, where staff in the detention facility are trained and certified by the entity operating facility to work with children, and the facility had been approved as a collocated facility by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention;

(17) “Dispositional hearing,” a hearing after adjudication at which the court makes an interim or final decision in the case;

(18) “Guardian,” a guardian of a child as defined in § 29A-1-201;

(19) “Guardian ad litem,” a representative of a child as defined in subdivision 15-6-17(c), including a courtappointed special advocate for a child;

(20) “Intake officer,” a judge of a circuit court or the court’s designee who may not be a court services officer, law enforcement officer, or prosecuting attorney. For purposes of chapters 26-7A, 26-8A, 26-8B, and 26-8C, intake officers may administer oaths or affirmations as provided by chapter 18-3;

(21) “Minor,” a person who has not reached his or her eighteenth birthday;

(22) “Parents,” biological or adoptive parents of a child, including either parent, any single or surviving parent, and any custodial or noncustodial parent, jointly or severally;

(23) “Protective supervision,” a legal status created by court order under which an alleged or adjudicated abused or neglected child is permitted to remain in the home of the child’s parents, guardian, or custodian or is placed with a relative or other suitable person and supervision and assistance is provided by the court, Department of Social Services, or another agency designated by the court;

(24) “Qualified mental health professional,” a person as defined in § 27A-1-3;

(25) “Shelter,” a physicallyunrestricting home or facility for temporary care of a child;

(26) “Temporary care,” the care given to a child in temporary custody;

(27) “Temporary custody,” the physical and legal control of a child prior to final disposition.

Source: SDC 1939, § 43.0301 as enacted by SL 1968, ch 164, § 1; SL 1971, ch 166, § 1; SL 1973, ch 163, § 5; SL 1982, ch 200, § 1; SL 1989, ch 226, § 1; SL 1989, ch 228, § 1; SL 1990, ch 30, § 6; SL 1991, ch 217, §§ 10B, 85B; SDCL Supp, § 26-8-1; SL 1992, ch 183, § 4; SL 1993, ch 213, § 120; SL 1997, ch 158, § 1; SL 2001, ch 137, § 1; SL 2003, ch 149, § 1.