Sup. Ct. R. D.C. 22

As amended through April 11, 2024
Rule 22 - Contents of Agency Report for Disposition

The responsible child welfare agency shall prepare a disposition report that must include but need not be limited to the following:

(a) A statement of the harms to be alleviated, together with a statement of the changes that are needed to correct those problems with timetables for accomplishing them;
(b) A plan for alleviating these harms. Specific services and service providers shall be identified. A description of services that would assist the family in remedying the identified problems shall be included together with an explanation of the availability of suggested services and of alternative services that were considered and rejected;
(c) A description of actions that should be taken by the parent, guardian or custodian to correct the identified problems;
(d) The case plan or proposed case plan, including case goals, tasks, and timetables for parents (if applicable) and agencies' responsibilities. The case plan shall be attached to the report and may substitute for the items in subparagraphs (b) and (c) above to the extent they are addressed in the case plan;
(e) If the child has been in shelter care or third party custody during the proceedings or the agency's recommendation includes placement of the child away from home, an affidavit regarding reasonable efforts to prevent removal or to reunify the family. Unless a finding has been made earlier that efforts to prevent removal or to reunify the family are not required, this affidavit shall:
(1) Provide a description of the efforts, if any, made by the agency to prevent the need for placement;
(2) Provide a description of the efforts since placement to reunify the family, including services that have been offered or provided;
(3) When the agency's recommendation includes placement of the child away from home, provide an explanation why the child cannot be protected from the identified problems in the home even with the provision of services; and
(4) State whether the agency recommends that no reasonable efforts to reunify the family be made because the conditions of D.C. Code § 4-1301.09 a(d) have been met or because, despite the lack of a conviction, a reasonable person would conclude the effort would be futile;
(f) The agency's recommendation of a permanency plan for the child, including a concurrent permanency plan if the primary plan is for reunification;
(g) A recommended time for achieving the permanency goal or determining that the goal will not be met;
(h) If return home is recommended, proposed conditions to be met by the parent(s), the agency and other parties and criminal background information on the parent or parents obtained pursuant to D.C. Code § 4-1305.02;
(i) If out-of-home placement is recommended:
(1) An explanation why the child cannot be protected from the identified problems in the home even with the provision of services;
(2) Identification of relatives or friends who have been contacted about providing a placement for the child;
(3) A description of the recommended placement or type of placement, including its distance from the child's home and whether or not it is the least restrictive (most family-like) placement available;
(4) The location of any siblings and, if siblings are separated, a statement of the reasons for the separation and the steps required to unite them as quickly as possible and to maintain regular contact during the separation, unless inappropriate;
(5) The terms of visitation, including visitation with siblings and other relatives. If the recommendation is that visitation is to be supervised, suspended or prohibited, the reasons shall be specified in the report;
(6) A statement of the child's special needs and how they will be met while in placement
(7) The ability of the parents to contribute financially to the placement and recommendations regarding child support; and
(8) The current addresses and telephone numbers of the parties or a statement why such information is not provided.
(j) Recommendations for stay-away orders or no-contact orders required to protect the child, custodian or parent(s);
(k) The criteria recommended for a future determination that continued jurisdiction of the court is no longer necessary.

Sup. Ct. R. D.C. 22