§ 27-20.3-01 — Definitions (Effective through July 31, 2027)

North Dakota § 27-20.3-01

• Jurisdiction: North Dakota
• Title 27: Judicial Branch of Government
• Ch. 27-20.3: Child Welfare

Text

As used in this chapter:
1. "Abandon" means:
a. As to a parent of a child not in the custody of that parent, failure by the
noncustodial parent significantly without justifiable cause:
(1) To communicate with the child; or
(2) To provide for the care and support of the child as required by law; or
b. As to a parent of a child in that parent's custody:
(1) To leave the child for an indefinite period without making firm and agreed
plans, with the child's immediate caregiver, for the parent's resumption of
physical custody;
(2) Following the child's birth or treatment at a hospital, to fail to arrange for the
child's discharge within ten days after the child no longer requires hospital
care; or
(3) Willfully to fail to furnish food, shelter, clothing, or medical attention
reasonably sufficient to meet the child's needs.
2. "Abandoned infant" means a child who has been abandoned before reaching the age
of one year.
3. "Aggravated circumstances" means circumstances in which a parent:
a. Abandons, tortures, chronically abuses, or sexually abuses a child;
b. Fails to make substantial, meaningful efforts to secure treatment for the parent's
addiction, mental illness, behavior disorder, or any combination of those
conditions for one year;
c. Engages in conduct prohibited under sections 12.1-20-01 through 12.1-20-08 or
chapter 12.1-27.2, in which a child is the victim or intended victim;
d. Engages in conduct that constitutes one of the following crimes, or of an offense
under the laws of another jurisdiction which requires proof of substantially similar
elements:
(1) A violation of section 12.1-16-01, 12.1-16-02, 12.1-16-03, or 14-09-22 in
which the victim is another child of the parent;
(2) Aiding, abetting, attempting, conspiring, or soliciting a violation of section
12.1-16-01, 12.1-16-02, or 12.1-16-03 in which the victim is a child of the
parent; or
(3) A violation of section 12.1-17-02 in which the victim is a child of the parent
and has suffered serious bodily injury;
e. Engages or attempts to engage in conduct, prohibited under sections 12.1-17-01
through 12.1-17-04, in which a child is the victim or intended victim;
f. In the case of a child age nine or older, has been incarcerated under a sentence
for which the latest release date is after the child's age of majority;
g. Subjects the child to prenatal exposure to chronic or severe use of alcohol or any
controlled substance as defined in chapter 19-03.1 in a manner not lawfully
prescribed by a practitioner; or
h. Allows the child to be present in an environment subjecting the child to exposure
to a controlled substance, chemical substance, or drug paraphernalia as
prohibited by section 19-03.1-22.2.
4. "Certified shelter care" means a nonsecure permanent dwelling operated by an
agency certified by the department of health and human services, where employees
offer safe shelter, food, and a structured routine, and which is available twenty-four
hours a day to a resident in need of emergency placement, not to exceed seven days,
unless otherwise approved by the department.
5. "Child in need of protection" means a child who:
a. Is without proper parental care or control, subsistence, education as required by
law, or other care or control necessary for the child's physical, mental, or

emotional health, or morals, and the need for services or protection is not due
primarily to the lack of financial means of the child's parents, guardian, or other
custodian;
b. Has been placed for care or adoption in violation of law;
c. Has been abandoned by the child's parents, guardian, or other custodian;
d. Is without proper parental care, control, or education as required by law, or other
care and control necessary for the child's well-being because of the physical,
mental, emotional, or other illness or disability of the child's parent or parents,
and that such lack of care is not due to a willful act of commission or act of
omission by the child's parents, and care is requested by a parent;
e. Is in need of treatment and whose parents, guardian, or other custodian have
refused to participate in treatment as ordered by the juvenile court;
f. Was subject to prenatal exposure to chronic or severe use of alcohol or any
controlled substance as defined in chapter 19-03.1 in a manner not lawfully
prescribed by a practitioner;
g. Is present in an environment subjecting the child to exposure to a controlled
substance, chemical substance, or drug paraphernalia as prohibited by section
19-03.1-22.2;
h. Is a victim of human trafficking as defined in title 12.1; or
i. Is in need of care and treatment and:
(1) Has been diagnosed with a severe mental health condition or behavioral
health disorder by a licensed child psychologist or psychiatrist;
(2) Has committed an act of a violent or sexual nature against another family
member living in the household, which if committed by an adult would be
considered a crime under the laws of this state, and if the criteria under
section 27-20.4-11 are met, has at minimum been considered for informal
adjustment; and
(3) Whose parent is unable to provide proper control of the child and is in fear
for the safety of a family member living in the same household as the child.
6. "Child in need of services" means a child who:
a. Is habitually and without justification truant from school subject to compulsory
school attendance and is absent from school without an authorized excuse more
than three days during a school year;
b. Is habitually disobedient of the reasonable and lawful commands of the child's
parent, guardian, or other custodian, including running away, and is ungovernable
or who is willfully in a situation dangerous or injurious to the health, safety, or
morals of the child or others;
c. Has committed an offense applicable only to a child, except for an offense
committed by a minor fourteen years of age or older under subsection 2 of
section 12.1-31-03 or an equivalent local ordinance or resolution; or
d. Is under the age of fourteen years and has purchased, possessed, smoked, or
used tobacco, a tobacco-related product, an electronic smoking device, or an
alternative nicotine product in violation of subsection 2 of section 12.1-31-03. As
used in this subdivision, "electronic smoking device" and "alternative nicotine
product" have the same meaning as in section 12.1-31-03; and
e. In any of the foregoing instances is in need of treatment or rehabilitation.
7. "Custodian" means a person, other than a parent or legal guardian, which stands in
loco parentis to the child and a person to which legal custody of the child has been
given by order of a court.
8. "Diversion" means an intervention strategy that redirects a child away from formal
processing in the juvenile justice system, while still holding the child accountable for
that child's actions.
9. "Fit and willing relative or other appropriate individual" means a relative or other
individual who has been determined, after consideration of an assessment that
includes a criminal history record investigation under chapter 50-11.3, to be a qualified

individual under chapters 27-20.1 and 30.1-27, and who consents in writing to act as a
legal guardian.
10. "Home" as used in the phrase "to return home" means the abode of the child's parent
with whom the child formerly resided.
11. "Human service zone" means a county or consolidated group of counties
administering human services within a designated area in accordance with an
agreement or plan approved by the department of health and human services.
12. "Permanency hearing" means a hearing, conducted with respect to a child who is in
foster care, to determine the permanency plan for the child which includes the
following:
a. Whether and, if applicable, when the child will be returned to the parent.
b. Whether and, if applicable, when the child will be placed for adoption and the
state will file a petition for termination of parental rights.
c. Whether and, if applicable, when a fit and willing relative or other appropriate
individual will be appointed as a legal guardian.
d. Whether and, if applicable, to place siblings in the same foster care, relative,
guardianship, or adoptive placement, unless it is determined that the joint
placement would be contrary to the safety or well-being of any of the siblings.
e. Whether and, if applicable, in the case of siblings removed from the home of the
siblings who are not jointly placed, to provide for frequent visitation or other
ongoing interaction between the siblings, unless it is determined to be contrary to
the safety or well-being of any of the siblings.
f. In cases in which a compelling reason has been shown that it would not be in the
child's best interests to return home, to have parental rights terminated, to be
placed for adoption, to be placed with a fit and willing relative, or to be placed with
a legal guardian, whether and, if applicable, when the child, aged sixteen or older,
will be placed in another planned permanent living arrangement. The court shall:
(1) Ask the child whether the child has a desired permanency outcome of
another planned permanent living arrangement;
(2) Make a judicial determination explaining why another planned permanent
living arrangement is the best permanency plan for the child; and
(3) Identify the compelling reasons it continues not to be in the best interest of
the child to return home, be placed for adoption, be placed with a legal
guardian, or be placed with a fit and willing relative.
g. In the case of a child who has been placed in foster care outside the state in
which the home of the parents is located, or if the parents maintain separate
homes, outside the state in which the home of the parent who was the child's
primary caregiver is located, whether out-of-state placements have been
considered. If the child is currently in an out-of-state placement, the court shall
determine whether the placement continues to be appropriate and in the child's
best interests.
h. In the case of a child who has attained age fourteen, the services needed to
assist the child to make the transition to successful adulthood.
13. "Qualified residential treatment programs" mean residential child care facilities that
provide a higher level of care which must use a trauma-informed treatment model and
employ registered or licensed nursing staff and other licensed clinical staff to meet the
treatment needs of children in out-of-home placement.
14. "Referral" means a written report submitted to the director of the human service zone
concerning a child in need of services as authorized in this chapter.
15. "Relative" or "kinship relative" means:
a. The child's grandparent, great-grandparent, sibling, half-sibling, aunt, great-aunt,
uncle, great-uncle, nephew, niece, or first cousin;
b. An individual with a relationship to the child, derived through a current or former
spouse of the child's parent, similar to a relationship described in subdivision a;
c. An individual recognized in the child's community as having a relationship with
the child similar to a relationship described in subdivision a; or

d. The child's stepparent.
16. "Shelter care" means temporary care during which a child needs a safe bed outside of
the home, in a shelter care site or a certified shelter care site managed by an agency
or licensed foster care facility.
Definitions. (Effective after July 31, 2027)
As used in this chapter:
1. "Abandon" means:
a. As to a parent of a child not in the custody of that parent, failure by the
noncustodial parent significantly without justifiable cause:
(1) To communicate with the child; or
(2) To provide for the care and support of the child as required by law; or
b. As to a parent of a child in that parent's custody:
(1) To leave the child for an indefinite period without making firm and agreed
plans, with the child's immediate caregiver, for the parent's resumption of
physical custody;
(2) Following the child's birth or treatment at a hospital, to fail to arrange for the
child's discharge within ten days after the child no longer requires hospital
care; or
(3) Willfully to fail to furnish food, shelter, clothing, or medical attention
reasonably sufficient to meet the child's needs.
2. "Abandoned infant" means a child who has been abandoned before reaching the age
of one year.
3. "Aggravated circumstances" means circumstances in which a parent:
a. Abandons, tortures, chronically abuses, or sexually abuses a child;
b. Fails to make substantial, meaningful efforts to secure treatment for the parent's
addiction, mental illness, behavior disorder, or any combination of those
conditions for one year;
c. Engages in conduct prohibited under sections 12.1-20-01 through 12.1-20-08 or
chapter 12.1-27.2, in which a child is the victim or intended victim;
d. Engages in conduct that constitutes one of the following crimes, or of an offense
under the laws of another jurisdiction which requires proof of substantially similar
elements:
(1) A violation of section 12.1-16-01, 12.1-16-02, 12.1-16-03, or 14-09-22 in
which the victim is another child of the parent;
(2) Aiding, abetting, attempting, conspiring, or soliciting a violation of section
12.1-16-01, 12.1-16-02, or 12.1-16-03 in which the victim is a child of the
parent; or
(3) A violation of section 12.1-17-02 in which the victim is a child of the parent
and has suffered serious bodily injury;
e. Engages or attempts to engage in conduct, prohibited under sections 12.1-17-01
through 12.1-17-04, in which a child is the victim or intended victim;
f. In the case of a child age nine or older, has been incarcerated under a sentence
for which the latest release date is after the child's age of majority;
g. Subjects the child to prenatal exposure to chronic or severe use of alcohol or any
controlled substance as defined in chapter 19-03.1 in a manner not lawfully
prescribed by a practitioner; or
h. Allows the child to be present in an environment subjecting the child to exposure
to a controlled substance, chemical substance, or drug paraphernalia as
prohibited by section 19-03.1-22.2.
4. "Certified shelter care" means a nonsecure permanent dwelling operated by an
agency certified by the department of health and human services, where employees
offer safe shelter, food, and a structured routine, and which is available twenty-four
hours a day to a resident in need of emergency placement, not to exceed seven days,
unless otherwise approved by the department.
5. "Child in need of protection" means a child who:

a. Is without proper parental care or control, subsistence, education as required by
law, or other care or control necessary for the child's physical, mental, or
emotional health, or morals, and the need for services or protection is not due
primarily to the lack of financial means of the child's parents, guardian, or other
custodian;
b. Has been placed for care or adoption in violation of law;
c. Has been abandoned by the child's parents, guardian, or other custodian;
d. Is without proper parental care, control, or education as required by law, or other
care and control necessary for the child's well-being because of the physical,
mental, emotional, or other illness or disability of the child's parent or parents,
and that such lack of care is not due to a willful act of commission or act of
omission by the child's parents, and care is requested by a parent;
e. Is in need of treatment and whose parents, guardian, or other custodian have
refused to participate in treatment as ordered by the juvenile court;
f. Was subject to prenatal exposure to chronic or severe use of alcohol or any
controlled substance as defined in chapter 19-03.1 in a manner not lawfully
prescribed by a practitioner;
g. Is present in an environment subjecting the child to exposure to a controlled
substance, chemical substance, or drug paraphernalia as prohibited by section
19-03.1-22.2; or
h. Is a victim of human trafficking as defined in title 12.1.
6. "Child in need of services" means a child who:
a. Is habitually and without justification truant from school subject to compulsory
school attendance and is absent from school without an authorized excuse more
than three days during a school year;
b. Is habitually disobedient of the reasonable and lawful commands of the child's
parent, guardian, or other custodian, including running away, and is ungovernable
or who is willfully in a situation dangerous or injurious to the health, safety, or
morals of the child or others;
c. Has committed an offense applicable only to a child, except for an offense
committed by a minor fourteen years of age or older under subsection 2 of
section 12.1-31-03 or an equivalent local ordinance or resolution; or
d. Is under the age of fourteen years and has purchased, possessed, smoked, or
used tobacco, a tobacco-related product, an electronic smoking device, or an
alternative nicotine product in violation of subsection 2 of section 12.1-31-03. As
used in this subdivision, "electronic smoking device" and "alternative nicotine
product" have the same meaning as in section 12.1-31-03; and
e. In any of the foregoing instances is in need of treatment or rehabilitation.
7. "Custodian" means a person, other than a parent or legal guardian, which stands in
loco parentis to the child and a person to which legal custody of the child has been
given by order of a court.
8. "Diversion" means an intervention strategy that redirects a child away from formal
processing in the juvenile justice system, while still holding the child accountable for
that child's actions.
9. "Fit and willing relative or other appropriate individual" means a relative or other
individual who has been determined, after consideration of an assessment that
includes a criminal history record investigation under chapter 50-11.3, to be a qualified
individual under chapters 27-20.1 and 30.1-27, and who consents in writing to act as a
legal guardian.
10. "Home" as used in the phrase "to return home" means the abode of the child's parent
with whom the child formerly resided.
11. "Human service zone" means a county or consolidated group of counties
administering human services within a designated area in accordance with an
agreement or plan approved by the department of health and human services.

12. "Permanency hearing" means a hearing, conducted with respect to a child who is in
foster care, to determine the permanency plan for the child which includes the
following:
a. Whether and, if applicable, when the child will be returned to the parent.
b. Whether and, if applicable, when the child will be placed for adoption and the
state will file a petition for termination of parental rights.
c. Whether and, if applicable, when a fit and willing relative or other appropriate
individual will be appointed as a legal guardian.
d. Whether and, if applicable, to place siblings in the same foster care, relative,
guardianship, or adoptive placement, unless it is determined that the joint
placement would be contrary to the safety or well-being of any of the siblings.
e. Whether and, if applicable, in the case of siblings removed from the home of the
siblings who are not jointly placed, to provide for frequent visitation or other
ongoing interaction between the siblings, unless it is determined to be contrary to
the safety or well-being of any of the siblings.
f. In cases in which a compelling reason has been shown that it would not be in the
child's best interests to return home, to have parental rights terminated, to be
placed for adoption, to be placed with a fit and willing relative, or to be placed with
a legal guardian, whether and, if applicable, when the child, aged sixteen or older,
will be placed in another planned permanent living arrangement. The court shall:
(1) Ask the child whether the child has a desired permanency outcome of
another planned permanent living arrangement;
(2) Make a judicial determination explaining why another planned permanent
living arrangement is the best permanency plan for the child; and
(3) Identify the compelling reasons it continues not to be in the best interest of
the child to return home, be placed for adoption, be placed with a legal
guardian, or be placed with a fit and willing relative.
g. In the case of a child who has been placed in foster care outside the state in
which the home of the parents is located, or if the parents maintain separate
homes, outside the state in which the home of the parent who was the child's
primary caregiver is located, whether out-of-state placements have been
considered. If the child is currently in an out-of-state placement, the court shall
determine whether the placement continues to be appropriate and in the child's
best interests.
h. In the case of a child who has attained age fourteen, the services needed to
assist the child to make the transition to successful adulthood.
13. "Qualified residential treatment programs" mean residential child care facilities that
provide a higher level of care which must use a trauma-informed treatment model and
employ registered or licensed nursing staff and other licensed clinical staff to meet the
treatment needs of children in out-of-home placement.
14. "Referral" means a written report submitted to the director of the human service zone
concerning a child in need of services as authorized in this chapter.
15. "Relative" or "kinship relative" means:
a. The child's grandparent, great-grandparent, sibling, half-sibling, aunt, great-aunt,
uncle, great-uncle, nephew, niece, or first cousin;
b. An individual with a relationship to the child, derived through a current or former
spouse of the child's parent, similar to a relationship described in subdivision a;
c. An individual recognized in the child's community as having a relationship with
the child similar to a relationship described in subdivision a; or
d. The child's stepparent.
16. "Shelter care" means temporary care during which a child needs a safe bed outside of
the home, in a shelter care site or a certified shelter care site managed by an agency
or licensed foster care facility.